A draft strategy and plan for Kilfenora is being shared with the community, to help focus improvement efforts in and for the village and surrounding area.
It sets out proposals to improve Kilfenora as a place to live in and work, and as an attractive destination for visitors to come and spend their money. It is a concise document – just 3 pages.
This has been prepared under the auspices of the Kilfenora Development community group, which was formed in December 2020. Clare County Council and Clare Local Development Company (CLDC) had advised that Kilfenora would struggle to get support and grants – indeed little had come Kilfenora’s way for many years, unlike some other locations – unless it created an umbrella organisation to represent the village and its separate various interest groups. Accordingly Kilfenora Development formed a representative steering group – see a reminder about that here.
Some early successes have been achieved – grants have been obtained and a number of discussions held with the Council. A reformed Tidy Towns team has been busy and a sustainable energy group is getting underway – badly needed as energy prices soar. Steps are also being taken to repair and re-open our historic Cathedral.
However Kilfenora was also advised that it needs a strategy and plan as a basis for talking to funders, articulating its needs and projects to take the village forward. The plan also needs to be a basis for collective community action – we have to do things for ourselves and work together if we are to prosper and succeed.
An earlier attempt was made in 2018, supported by CLDC (the Kilfenora Planning Group), but that village plan was never enacted. Yet it contained good ideas, and these have been incorporated in the new document.
Member of the community are asked to respond in three ways, preferably by writing to [email protected]
(i) Indicate whether they support the strategy and outline village plan
(ii) Contribute any comments and ideas to help carry the plan forward
(iii) Indicate how they can personally help and contribute
You can read or download the document here.
There will be some brief mention of this at a public meeting on Kilfenora’s future to be held on Tuesday 15 March at 8pm in the Hall – where the Kilfenora community will be briefed on all the developments that have been taking place and those that are being planned and, again, invited to contribute and participate where they can
