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[Press Release: November 17th, 2005] Work of new Town Renewal committee is vital for Bray says de BurcaFollowing the first meeting of the newly established Bray Town Renewal committee, Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca says that the work of this committee will be "vital" for Bray. The Town Renewal Committee was recently established by Bray Town Council and is chaired by Green Party councillor, Ciarán O'Brien.Bray Chamber of Commerce, the Independent Retailers Forum, the Bray Small Traders group and the developers of the Florentine Centre are all represented on the committee, along with the Town Engineer and a number of Bray Town councillors. Cllr de Burca, who is a member of the committee, says that the renewal and revitalisation of Bray Town Centre must be a priority for the council and for the town's business community. "It is no exaggeration to say that Bray is in a state of commercial decline," she says. "It is now necessary for all the main players in the town to come together and to work in a co-ordinated and focused way to reverse what may otherwise be the terminal decline of the town". The Green Party councillor points out that one of the first actions of the committee must be to set short-term and long-term goals. "It would be unrealistic to think that we can turn the town around in the space of a couple of months" she says. "But we can identify what actions will be achievable in the shorter and longer-term. I personally would like to see the physical environment of the town centre being upgraded and a long-term Management Plan being put in place. This will involve proper investment by the town council but will also need the full involvement of the traders. The first task that I intend to undertake with the Town Engineer is to carry out an audit of the physical condition of the Town Centre. This will help us to decide where investment and improvements need to be concentrated". Cllr de Burca says that in her opinion there is little to be gained from Bray trying to compete with large retail developments such as Dundrum Town Centre. "Instead, Bray should concentrate on developing 'niche' retail outlets and should emphasise the unique shopping opportunities that it can offer" she says. "For example, people enjoy the intimacy of wandering along the Main St, and dropping into small specialist shops where they can get personal attention, often from the owner of the shop. The real problem that must be overcome is the lack of town centre parking". The Green Party councillor says Bray has much to learn from other towns around the country and that the Town Renewal committee will be carrying out research in this area. "I believe we have a lot to learn from towns within Wicklow also" she says. "When you look at the revitalisation that has taken place in Wicklow Town over the past few years and how many new and attractive 'niche shops', and cafes have opened on its Main Street, there is no good reason why Bray can't do the same".
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