Dundalk BIDS seek another five-year term

LOCAL ratepayers have until the 17th of August to decide if they want to give the Dundalk BIDS (Business Improvement District Scheme) team another five-year term.

In 2009 Dundalk made history when they became the first town in Ireland to vote for a Business Improvement District Scheme. That vote included an agreement by ratepayers to pay 1.5% of their annual rates to finance BIDS.

Deborah Conlon, Chairperson of Dundalk BIDS, said over the last five-year term, BIDS had played an integral role in nurturing the reinvention and rapid growth of the town centre.

“Dundalk BIDs has become a leading example, not only in Ire- land but across the Uk, for our hands on collaborative approach to the re-energising of our Town Centre. They are a proven catalyst for change and I have watched firsthand how the town centre is being revitalised through regeneration projects like Facades.

“The way people are using town centre’s is changing; they’re no longer some-where merely to shop but a leisure destination in their own right. The BIDs Office has played an integral role in the creation of this new “look and feel” for Dundalk as part of the regeneration journey.

“Our vision as always is to encourage growth, development and investment in local businesses by creating a safe, welcoming and accessible town for everyone to work, shop, visit and enjoy and of course a town of which we can all be proud of.’ concluded Deborah.

Dundalk BIDS manager Martin McElligott is well known around town and cannot be accused of not getting stuck in to the job with the public face of BIDs often seen with paintbrush in hand in a hi-vis vest helping to brighten up the town.

According to Martin, much of the work over the past five years has played a vital role in reshaping much of Dundalk’s identity. The next term will be all about ensuring that Dundalk’s future commercial interests are addressed.

“Dundalk has a strong architectural identity. Over the last 5-year term, we have focused heavily on

James recalls Ice House Hill Conservation Project disappointment

A RECENT article in the Dundalk Leader in relation to the Ice House Hill Park described the site as ‘derelict’ before the Naughton family stepped in and donated funds to create the public park. However, a visit from James Carroll to our office, corrected this assertion with the Dundalk man stating that he was the project manager of a scheme aimed at creating a nature conservation and amenity park which had already started before it was abruptly halted by the local authority once the donation for a public park was made by the Naughton family.

According to James, funds were sourced by the Dundalk Employment partnership who thought his idea of creating a nature conservation and amenity park in Dundalk was one that had great potential for community employment. Local residents were invited to a meeting where they had direct input into how the area would be developed.

“In April of 1994 I led a Community Employment Project on Ice House Hill with the objective of creating a nature conservation and amenity Park. The outline plan for this was drawn up by myself two years previously and submitted to the council but due to lack of finance it didn’t go ahead at the time.

“Two years later thanks to the Dundalk Employment Partnership we got funding and work began on the project with sixteen local men employed to help the project become a reality. We planted 400 native trees, fenced wildflower areas and planted 600 shrubs to attract butterflies but it turned out that this was a complete waste of all our time when plans were published in the local newspaper detailing how the Ice House Hill area was to be turned into the town park. There was no mention in the report of the work that was already going on. This came as a complete shock to all of us and obviously there was anger as our efforts had amounted to a complete waste of time and money,” stated James. visual perception, developing new strategies to help the local rate payer and landlords regain control and pride of the streets appearance and pay homage and respect to the history and heritage of our buildings.

“At a meeting with the council they stated they had received a large amount of funding and that the plans drawn up could not be changed. There would be no room for natural areas of woodland or grassland in it. They took up all the shrubs and trees that we had planted and work began on the park that we see before us today. It was hugely disappointing for us and I had no option but to leave my position as supervisor of the Ice House Hill Conservation Project. I’m not too sure many people know about that part of the park’s history but I just wanted to put it on record what happened almost thirty years ago before work on the public park began,” he added.

“Back in 2018 when considering our third term and the many changes we hoped we could bring about, Dundalk was struggling with an identity crisis coupled with two decades of retail displacement.

“Add into the mix the changing nature of retail technology and our night time economy sector, nobody had ever dreamed that we would be facing into a worldwide pandemic and the new challenge this would present.

“Much of the works carried out over the last five years have played a vital role in reshaping much of Dundalk’s identity, both how we view the town and its appeal to visitors from all across the region.

“We have made huge strides during my term in office, however once again we are facing down an ever-changing set of global challenges, compounded by a housing and energy crisis.

“The next term is imperative that we build onwards from our previous three terms, ensuring that Dundalk’s future commercial interests are addressed and represented as we navigate global challenges, working with local government showing clear leadership working with Louth County Council at a policy level both locally and nationally,” stated Martin.