HEALTH CHECK: Killarney town is undergoing a Town Centre Health Check in the coming weeks. Pictured were: Mayor of Killarney Cllr Michael Gleeson, Ali Harvey (Heritage Council) and Martha Farrell (Marketing Lecturer ITT), Eileen O'Donoghue (KCC) and Paul Sherry (Chamber President). Photo: Michelle Crean

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By Michelle Crean

Killarney town centre is to undergo a major health check as part of the National Town Centre Health Check Programme – and organisers are calling on business owners and the public to play their part in the coming weeks.

A major study of behaviour and attitudes of shoppers, business owners’ perceptions, footfall and land use is to be conducted, with the results published in early 2020.

The aim of the programme is to raise awareness, understanding and appreciation of the critical role that town centres play and the wide-ranging impacts that their vitality and viability have on overall socio-economic, environmental and cultural growth and development and on quality of life for citizens and visitors alike.

A number of surveys will be conducted in the town centre as part of transdisciplinary research between the Heritage Council, Kerry County Council, Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce and the IT Tralee, tofully understand the critical role that town centres play and the impact they have on the quality of life for citizens and visitors.

Presentation

Wednesday lunchtime, Ali Harvey, Manager of the Heritage Council’s National Planning & Regeneration Programmes, and Martha Farrell, Marketing Lecturer in the School of Business, Humanities and Computing at the Institute of Technology, Tralee made a presentation at the monthly Chamber of Commerce lunch which was held in the Great Southern Killarney.

There, both explained the importance of the health check and its benefits to Killarney town as the findings will inform strategies for the future development of the town.

From October to December students from the IT, Tralee will conduct the surveys, Martha explained.

“We will need your support on this,” she said. “I would appeal to you take the questionnaire from the students and fill it out, please support them.”