A large turnout gathered at the Trident Hotel on Friday last, January 25th, for a presentation entitled Future Kinsale (formerly Inspired by Kinsale).
A committee was established last year with the aim of creating a 20 year plan to develop a thriving sustainable community. Working with Cork County Council and Fáilte Ireland the group commissioned two online surveys: a visitor survey in June 2018 (640 respondents) and a survey of Kinsale residents (687 respondents) in October 2018.
The committee, chaired by Alan Clayton, largely based their presentations on the findings of these surveys. Six main pillars were established with various projects associated with each, some achievable within the short term, for example parking reform, others within a five year time frame such as an indoor visitor/arts centre, while larger projects such as a driverless town shuttle and a community energy generation project, allocated a longer timeframe. The six pillars are: Transport and Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainability, Arts, Culture and Community, Tourism and Heritage, Digital and Technology, Enterprise and Education. Speakers included Ciarán Fitzgerald, Liz Creed, Alan Clayton, Adrian Wistreich and guest, Val Kempadoo, who shared his experience of developing St. Kitts and Nevis as the world’s first Sustainable Island State.
Work is now underway at getting some projects off the ground and it is anticipated that monthly public meetings will be held, keep an eye out for details.