Attributes • A connected town with excellent road and rail connectivity; • The Lisheen/Thurles Centre of Excellence for the bio-economy; • An educational hub, with primary, secondary (including two boarding schools), third level colleges - Limerick Institute of Technology and Mary Immaculate College (St. Patrick’s College Campus), the Educational Training Board’s National Apprentice Centre at Archerstown; • Potential to provide significant employment growth serving the cities of Dublin, Cork and Limerick given its strategic location; • 25.5 hectares Shannon Commercial Properties site at Archerstown; • A strong retail centre for the surrounding hinterland area; • A sporting capital which is synonymous with hurling.
Key Infrastructural Requirements i. Upgrade of R498 Nenagh to Thurles Road; ii. Provision of the Thurles Relief Road and other transport measures through a Local Transport Plan; iii. Strengthen ‘steady state’ investment in rail infrastructure to ensure its continued renewal and maintenance to a high level to provide quality levels of safety, service, accessibility and connectivity;
iv.
Development of infrastructure to ensure that the economic potential of the Lisheen/ Thurles Centre of Excellence for the Bio-economy is met; Investment and infrastructure for the 25.5 hectares Shannon Commercial Properties site at Archerstown;
v.
vi. Enhancement of Liberty Square; vii. Provision of a gas connection to the town; viii. Continued investment in higher education on the campuses in the town, including development of the student accommodation; ix. Support for delivery of projects submitted under the Urban Regeneration & Development Fund.
RPO 21
Thurles a. To support and promote the role of Thurles as a strategically located urban centre of significant influence in a sub-regional context and driver of county and regional prosperity by harnessing the employment and economic potential of the town togetherwith Lisheen, Thurles National Bio Economy Hub and the emergence of a new economic model focused on two principal pillars: low carbon growth and resource efficiency, while leveraging its strategic location and accessibility on inter-regional road and rail networks; b. To support and promote the role of Thurles as a centre for international and national standard sporting facilities. This builds on the opportunities and landholdings available to the third level institutions and sporting bodies within the town; c. To support the delivery of the infrastructural requirements identified for Thurles including support
for the delivery of projects submittedunder theUrban Regeneration and Development Fund subject to the outcome of the planning process and environmental assessments; d. To strengthen ‘steady state’ investment in existing rail infrastructure and seek investment for improved infrastructure and services to ensure its continued renewal and maintenance to a high level in order to provide quality levels of safety, service, accessibility and connectivity including improved frequency and journey times; e. Future growth of the town should be planned for on a phased basis in consultationwith the local authority and Irish Water to ensure that sufficient wastewater capacity is accounted for and that further growth avoids negative impacts on the nutrient sensitive River Suir.
Southern Regional Assembly | RSES
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