Focusing stakeholder commitment on improved placemaking is one of the benefits of creating an Urban Framework Plan. KSA was appointed by Dundalk Town Council to prepare such a plan, with a brief that it should be flexible enough to adapt to changing retail, commercial and social trends. Obtaining a detailed understanding of a place is fundamental to establishing character. This plan was based on considerable historic research, resulting in comprehensive guidelines for shopfront design, massing and scale, use of materials, change of use, restoration and extensions. Certain challenges, such as the conservation of historic buildings while ensuring their long-term active usage, will require ongoing innovative policy guidance and practical solutions.
The Urban Design Framework is designed to utilise key sites as a catalyst for development and regeneration, particularly those in public ownership. This will introduce a broader mix of uses in the town centre, so rejuvenating the local economy and stimulating vibrancy. A necklace of urban squares and green spaces will enliven and improve the leisure potential of the town, creating pleasant places to sit and walk, and for casual trading.
The plan was presented in mid 2008, and a BIDS scheme (Business Investment District Scheme) has since been set up, with representatives from the Dundalk Chamber of Commerce and the local authority on the committee. Under the auspices of this group, a Town Centre Manager will be appointed, one of the first such posts in Ireland. The position will be funded from Council business rates, and will guide the essential coordination necessary between public space activity, security and ongoing place management. The plan, it is hoped, will drive the growth of Dundalk as the administrative capital of north-east Ireland. A population of less than 30,000 is projected to increase to 50,000 by 2010.
The Dundalk Urban Design Framework Plan
The DUDFP is based on a thorough and real understanding of the place, its history, its morphological development, its people, its activity and its challenges. The plan encompasses several sets of ‘mini design guidelines’, including a section on guidance for development within the historic core and a section on shopfront design guidelines. Given the challenging economic times ahead, this plan provides a framework to secure the future of the town and to deliver on the plan’s proposals in a meaningful way.
KEY POINTS
• The stakeholder consultation used traditional, yet effective face-to-face methods of meeting all individuals
and parties concerned to ensure a holistic development of the UDFP
• Stakeholders were supportive of the macro and micro-level proposals contained within the plan
• Town centre retail locations developed and promoted
• Town centre retailing supported by the town centre manager
PRACTICE DETAILS
KSA is based in Dublin Ireland: www.ksa.ie
Dundalk is an established Irish town with a rich heritage
