February 2005 Area committee
Question: Councillor M. Baker:
"To ask the Manager to detail the steps necessary to apply for heritage town status?"
Reply:
"34 Heritage Towns were established under the Heritage Town program, of which less than 20 are still in existence – one is Dalkey Heritage Town opened in June 1998. The Heritage Towns Programme has its origins with the Bord Failte sponsored Tidy Towns Competition. It was conceived as a new product in the overall Tourism Planning period 1989 – 1992. Bord Failte, together with local authorities, Regional Tourism Organisations and Community interests designed the Heritage Towns of Ireland programme with the ultimate objective of accelerating the growth of tourism to Ireland. The programme's objective was to transform a selection of Ireland's historic settlements and towns to tourist attractions in their own right. Towns were selected on the basis of a set of criteria designed to ensure that each town has "a critical mass of historic features and a community totally committed to the highest environment standards as evidenced by a record of achievement in the Tidy Town competition". However, funding for this program ceased in 1999 and since then there has been no facility for establishing Heritage Towns."