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Development of a “Town Centre Plan” in two Settlements in County Carlow. ”

 

In 2017 a Town & Village Health Check Initial Project was developed (copy attached) by Carlow County Council in a number of settlements under the Town & Village Renewal Scheme. It is proposed during 2018 in the case of two settlements (named below) to develop these initial Town & Village Health Checks into Town Centre Plans in line with the recommendations of the Framework for Town Centre Renewal.   

 

https://dbei.gov.ie/en/Publications/A-Framework-for-Town-Centre-Renewal.html (https://dbei.gov.ie/en/Publications/A-Framework-for-Town-Centre-Renewal.html)

 

The process should build on the findings of the initial Town & Village Health Check.

 

The Town Centre Plan will feature:

 

A vision for the town centre that sets out the overall aim which is both consensus building and which people can relate to.

 

A strategy of key objectives which should ideally fall into three categories in priority order:

 

· Retail and Hospitality Investment – without a compelling and engaging retail and hospitality mix the town will not succeed.

· Citizen Engagement – the town centre is owned by the citizen, it is their public realm and it is therefore essential that they are engaged in enjoying and supporting their town.

· Standards and Security – a key part of the plan should address how best to deliver a clean, safe and engaging civic space.

 

A listing of projects is required to be developed related to each key objective above with a cost, target date, and associated sponsor should form part of the report along with base line data and opportunity for the specific project. The projects will be prioritised by a consultation process with the business and general community. Interventions will include Business Support , Economic Development & Tourism projects.

 

The process will involve consultation and input from various sources including the community, visitors and traders.  From a methodology viewpoint it is proposed to host a Town Day in each settlement early in the process with a view to developing the Town Centre plan followed by a drafting period and a further consultation period. It is envisaged that the project will take 4-5 months to complete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SELECTED TOWNS:

The Towns and Villages Selected for the Scheme are: -

 

District Towns: -

Tullow: -

Tullow is a growing district town in the north of County Carlow with a population of 4,673 (2016 census) which has experienced rapid growth in a short period. The town has a mixture of employment, a full mixture of retail, primary schools, a secondary school, banks, post office, credit union, library and many community facilities. There is a large rural hinterland surrounding the town. The town is located on the River Slaney which is a popular fishing destination. There is large hotel/golf/course/spa/leisure centre which attracts visitors to the area. 

 

Muine Bheag/Royal Oak

 

Muine Bheag/Royal Oak is a growing district town in mid County Carlow with a population of 2,837 (2016 census) which has experienced moderate growth in the past few years. The town has a mixture of employment, a full mixture of retail, primary schools, a secondary school, banks, post office, credit union, library and many community facilities. There is a large rural hinterland surrounding the town. In the past year the area has seen the establishment of a distillery and has micro-brewery. The River Barrow and Barrow Track pass through the Town and this attracts water tourism.

 

Where possible and the budget allows where a process involves a physical development then a QS report on approx. costs should be developed as part of the study.

 

The Team

Tenderers must name the proposed personnel who would be responsible for delivery of the services.  This should be a single named person, with a back-up provided in the event of unavailability for sick leave, etc.  In doing so, Tenderers must provide specific details of the seniority, practical experience, qualifications and proven expertise of the personnel in question which would be relevant to the project outlined in this document.  This should be provided by way of detailed curricula vitae for the team members.

         

Tenders are referred to Clause 3 of the Contract.  Tenderers must also set out their proposed arrangements to ensure the availability of the Key Personnel.

 

Work Plan

Tenderers must set out their proposals in a detailed work plan, including how the contract will be managed, including relevant timescales, (human) resources to be assigned, milestones, dates and other relevant details (“Work Plan”).  The Work Plan must also indicate, where appropriate, inputs required at various stages by the key stakeholders and other interdependencies where they arise. 

 

Clearly showing timelines for each activity and indicative man-days for each activity in line with the calendar of events outlined above.

 

Contract Duration:

A contract will be awarded to the successful bidder and it envisaged that the work programme will be completed a period of three to four months. It is envisaged that this programme will be completed by end April 2018 based on a commencement of January 2018.  

 

 

 

Budget & Payments

 

The maximum budget allocated for this contract will not exceed €20,000 plus VAT.

 

An up to date tax clearance certificate is required for any person / body tendering for this work.

 

A Payment schedule will be agreed at time of appointment and will be processed subject to satisfactory completion of all due tasks and duties.