Ballymahon UR Impact Integrated Action Plan

UR Impact is an URBACT Action Planning Network bringing together nine European cities to prioritise social impact in urban regeneration projects. The network is led by Cinisello Balsamo in Italy and Longford is one of the project partners. As part of the process of the project, a group of local people came together to form the URBACT Local Group (ULG) to develop an action plan aiming to put social, economic and environmental well-being at the centre of urban regeneration projects through collaborative decision making and community engagement. Over the last two and a half years, Longford County Council has worked with the local community to develop an Integrated Action Plan (IAP) to provide a roadmap for supporting the regeneration of Ballymahon through strengthening of the social infrastructure, overcoming social isolation, and improving connections within the town. This approach aims to ensure that urban regeneration projects puts community at the heart of them and creates sustainable, inclusive development for all residents.

Through the community engagement, a vision for the town was developed, which is set out in the Integrated Action Plan (IAP), to create an environment that all sectors of the community feel part of the town and to support the delivery of a sustainable Pobal le Cheile project with a strong governance model. In order to deliver on that vision, four goals were identified:

Goal 1: Develop a community-aligned governance structure to support the delivery and management of projects;

Goal 2: Provide a space for older people to socialise, get involved, and contribute in meaningful ways;

Goal 3: Create a town where young people are supported through high-quality services and welcoming spaces;

Goal 4: Improving connections within Ballymahon.

Key actions to support the delivery of the IAP included the establishment of a Men’s Shed and the Foróige Youth Services within the town. As a first step in the delivery of these actions a community engagement event was held in Bridgeways Family Resource Centre in Ballymahon on Thursday, 20 November, bringing together representatives from Men’s Sheds in Granard, Killoe and Edgeworthstown along with local men from Ballymahon interested in setting up a Men’s Shed in their town to give them an opportunity to talk to and learn from their experiences. Foróige Youth Services Co-ordinator Dawn Gorman was also present at the event and met with students from Mercy Secondary School, Ballymahon and Ballymahon Vocational School and talked to them about the opportunities Foróige can bring to them and the next steps in setting up Foróige in the town. The event allowed the local people to learn from others and inspire the community to develop their own facilities.

Read the plan in full: Ballymahon UR Impact Integrated Action Plan