SERVICES
Background
Ballybay is a Town which had a population of 1329 persons in April 2022 (CSO). The town is strategically located in the centre of County Monaghan, is served by the Regional Road network and is less than 20kms from all the main towns in the county.
The town traditionally acted as a market town which served a large rural hinterland and still depends largely on the agricultural sector with the mart being a central focal feature. In common with most Irish Towns, Ballybay has faced a number of challenges for several decades which is reflected in the number of vacant properties in the streetscape. KEPAK Foods and Leonard Engineering are important employers in the town. Lough Major and the Dromore River System are designated Proposed Natural Heritage Areas and Areas of Secondary Amenity Value. They are an important natural resource that has helped shape the development of Ballybay. Lough Major is the venue for International Coarse Angling competitions and is well used by visiting anglers.
Ballybay is characterised by attractive and continuous building frontages with a pleasant mix of building heights, materials, and colours. The scale of buildings in the town are in the main, typical of eighteenth and nineteenth century Irish market towns; three-storey commercial/residential premises line the street on both sides, with single and two-storey returns behind.
Despite a lack of growth in the town, Ballybay still maintains a strong community network with many community groups, including the Ballybay Development Association which was responsible for the development of the Ballybay Wetlands Centre.
The town core provides opportunities to consolidate the existing urban footprint by utilising brownfield and infill sites. Connectivity between the town centre and the surrounding residential areas could be improved thereby enticing more footfall, dwell time and spend onto the Main Street. The provision of a public civic space, improved green spaces and a general improvement in the public realm will make the town core a more attractive area to live, work and visit and these are all issues to be developed through the Town Centre First process.
Ballybay is taking part in the second phase of the Town Centre First Programme. Funding has been provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development
Progress
July 2024 – Paul Hogarth Associates have been appointed to prepare a regeneration plan for Ballybay, to be developed in accordance with the Governments Town Centre First Policy.