At the October Meeting of Drogheda Borough District, in Governors House, Millmount, Elected Members were given an update on planned works to the Westgate Area of Drogheda from the Public Realm team of Louth County Council. Members were advised that the Louth County Council project, which is funded by the Urban Regeneration Development Fund, will be submitted for planning approval in coming weeks.
The Westgate Vision in Drogheda focuses on recovering the streetscape, providing high quality public spaces and acting as a catalyst for positive regeneration and supporting development of the town. The overall vision links a series of urban spaces together to create a stronger connection and visibility to the riverfront.
The project is set to define the overall usages of four character areas: Westgate, Medieval Wall, the Abbey and the Riverfront marking its heritage and providing links to the river.
As the project has people and place at its heart, to inform the required work Turley Planning Strategic Communications team on behalf of Louth County Council set out to identify and maximise stakeholder engagement in the project. A variety and number of stakeholder engagement methods were used including direct meetings with business owners, leaflet drops and letters, an online consultation survey and webinars.
Thousands of stakeholders were identified and opinions sought. A total of 709 responses were received to the online survey from a diverse range of stakeholders with an interest in the Westgate area or connections within Drogheda in general. The full report can be found here
Insights gathered through public engagement are noted below:
• Maximising the potential and protecting historic assets
• Improving traffic congestion and flow, centralised parking and car free zones
• Improving Safety and the Sense of Arrival
• Developing a focus on culture
• Maximising tourism potential
• Creating structured outdoor space and amenities
• Addressing underutilisation of the River Boyne
Louth County Council will proceed to the next phase of the project once the planning process has been completed. A further funding application will be submitted to the Urban Regeneration Development Fund before any works can commence.
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CLANRYE NEWS 