Half of commercial buildings on Laois main street empty with seven in a row vacant finds blueprint for future

The commercial building vacancy rate in Rathdowney is double the national average with half of the buildings on Main Street emtpy making vacancy and derelection a 'major negative' for the Laois town.

That's among the findings in a draft Rathdowney Town Masterplan which has emerged from a €100,000 grant through the Government's Town Centre First project.

People living in the south Laois town are being invited to attend workshops and make submissions on the plan drawn up by consultancy firm KPMG which also outlines a roadmap for the future to address dereliction and other issues.

Rathdowney was put forward by Laois County Council for funding under Town Centre First which led to the approval of €100,000 under the Government's overall aim of tackling vacancy, dereliction and in the process revitalise flagging town  centres.

The money was approved in February 2022 and almost a year and a half later a draft blueprint has emerged which is now out for public consultation.

The findings on dereliction and vacancy reveal the scale of the challenge facing Laois County County Council and local interests in their aim to revitalise the south Laois community.

The report has found that the town centre has an overall vacancy rate of 8% or 21 vacant buildings out of 261, which
is driven predominantly by a commercial vacancy rate of 28% (11 vacant units out of 40). This compares with an average commercial vacancy rate of 15 %, across Laois and 14% nationally.

"While vacancy can be more pronounced in town centres, these findings demonstrate the major significance of vacancy within Rathdowney," it said.

The report highlighted the main thoroughfare as being the black spot.

"Main Street faces the most significant issues in relation to vacancy and dereliction, with 50% of the commercial units are vacant or derelict.

"A cluster of vacant and derelict properties to the south of the street, west of the central junction, stands out with seven
vacant/derelict properties in row, having a major negative impact on the vitality of the area," says the report.

The almost 200-page draft plan report also pinpoints other 'detractors' as follows.

The elements that tend to currently detract from
the character of the town centre include:
• Unsightly buildings
• Excessive road junctions
• Excessive car parking on The Square
• Dominant and unsafe on street car parking
• Inadequate width footpaths
• Poor surface finishes and street furniture
• Poor lighting
• Overhead cables and utilities infrastructure

The authors say in their plan that the actions proposed are split between five "transformational" measures and a series of smaller actions which they say will support and build upon the larger scale recommendations.

The consultants say the larger actions are likely to be principally led by the County Council in consultation with the Town Team while the smaller-scale actions are likely to be led by the Town Team in consultation with the County Council.

KPMG say a clear focus of the larger, more ambitious actions is to utilise two of the town’s competitive advantages (i.e. streetscape, pond and Square and Rathdowney’s flat, compact nature).

The five transformative actions are:

1. Public realm works in the Square, including the construction of a pavilion.
2. Developing the Pond and the surrounding area for reaction.
3. Main Street public realm works and traffic calming.
4. Public realm improvements to Ossory St and Main St
5. Improved link at Cascade St., including a walkway connecting Cascade St. with the GAA pitch and soccer
   ground.

KPMG say all the actions will be completed in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders, especially any impacted landowners.

As to how these aims will be implemented the consultants state that creating a good plan is only the start of a process.

"Without determined and adaptive implementation by the Town Team, Laois County Council and other key stakeholders the vision will not be realised," they say.

The report says the proposed actions are mindful of the existing capabilities and management systems being put in place (i.e. the Town Team). 

As for money, the report says the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a funding programme that is investing
€1 billion in rural Ireland up to 2027.  It points to the nearly €1.5 million awarded to the Durrow Community Enterprise Hub project and says this process can be used for a project suitable for Rathdowney.

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For its part, Laois County Council says the plan will guide the regeneration of the town and provide the basis for future funding applications by the Local Authority. 

However, it says for the plan to best fit the needs of the town and those who live and work in it, it will be important to hear from the people it is designed to help.

The council says the document is available to download from Laois County Council’s website from Tuesday 23rd May 2023 until Tuesday 6th June 2023. A copy will also be available in the Rathdowney library and the offices of Laois County Council, Portlaoise from Wednesday 24th  May 2023.

It says the Town Regeneration Officer and the Town Team have arranged for KPMG Future Analytics to host two in-person consultation clinics as part of the ongoing consultation for the 'Rathdowney Town Centre First Plan'.  The Council says these clinics will allow the people of Rathdowney to give their opinions and input into the draft Town Centre First Masterplan.

Location and dates of the public Consultation Clinics to be held in the Rathdowney library are as follows:

Workshop no 1, Tuesday 30th May: 10am – 1pm

Workshop no 2, Tuesday 30th May: 2pm – 5pm

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For people who cannot attend either workshop, you can view the draft Town Centre First Masterplan HERE and submit an online observation or by emailing drainey@laoiscoco.ie by Tuesday, June 6 at 5pm.

The Council says Rathdowney is one of 26 towns across the country that has received funding to develop a Town Centre First Masterplan.

If anyone has any queries in relation to the draft Town Centre First Masterplan, they should contact Denise Rainey, Town Regeneration Officer 0868478631.