The recently formed Letterkenny Town team has announced the appointment of Mr Dessie Larkin as the new Town Centre Manager.
Mr Larkin, a former town and county councillor, recently retired from local politics.
On announcing the appointment, Mark Bundschu, who has been leading the initiative, said they are delighted to announce the appointment of Dessie Larkin.
“We are confident that the new Town centre Manager has all the key skills required to bring together all the key stakeholders in implementing the plan to revitalise the Town centre.
“Since the beginning of this initiative there has been much support and enthusiasm, particularly from the private sector,who are its driving force at present Dessie has very strong networks as well as an excellent understanding of funding and public sector processes, his appointment will be instrumental in giving this initiative a future beyond its initial one year.”
It is recognised that 1 in 6 properties in the traditional Town Centre are currently empty and a priority of this project is to attract new retailers to fill the empty spaces while attaining the best retail mix for the town centre.
Letterkenny has much to offer visitors.
“This appointment is essential to oversee our goals and visions realised. We are delighted with the appointment and are confident that working together with this very clear focus will ensure our town centre will thrive well into the future,” he added.
The early days of the initiative will be to prepare an investment prospectus for the Town Centre, detailing the Properties available, the opportunity, and the deficiencies in the current mix of retail.
This prospectus will act as a tool in the active recruitment of new tenants who will complement the existing retail offering. As the initiative develops citizen involvement will become even more important and then it will concentrate on making the Town Centre a more attractive place to visit.
Dessie was born and reared in Lower Main Street , has lived and worked in this town all his adult life and has come through the selection process as the preferred and most suitable candidate.
The Letterkenny Town team said he presented with a broad and extensive knowledge of Letterkenny and its environs, a well established working knowledge of the successes to date and the issues at hand, and a deeply rooted enthusiasm and passion to drive this project to fruition.
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