FOREWORD

As Cathaoirleach of Leixlip Town Council I am very pleased with the publication of the Leixlip Town Improvement Study 2003-2008. We are all aware of the huge changes which have taken place in Leixlip in modern times and the challenges presented by them. Leixlip Town Council has faced and met those challenges and will continue to do so.We hope that this plan will be a
tool to aid everyone with an interest in our town centre to make it a better place in which to live, work, visit or do business.

I compliment the members of the Town Improvements Committee who oversaw the work on this plan - Councillors Paul Kelly ( convenor), Teresa Byrne, Kevin O'Connor, Michael Rodgers and Sean Purcell and the non-Council members Tom Hannigan and Patricia Wrynne. I also wish to thank Paul Hogan of Hannigan, Hogan, Maguire, the local architectural firm and our Town Clerk Mary Foley, who gave so much time to this work.

Guím rath ar an obair agus meabhraím díobh - Ní neart go cur le chéile!

Colm Purcell
Cathaoirleach

The Leixlip Town Improvement Study is the result of more than 12 months work by the Town Improvements Sub-committee of Leixlip Town Council, and consultants, Hannigan Hogan Maguire, architects, Leixlip. A review of our first plan, launched in 1995, showed that much progress had been made - many of it's proposals have been implemented - for example the Main Street Plaza, the decorative street furniture, and the increased use of plants and flowers - but many more have either been overtaken by events, or were simply beyond the reach of the Town Council. However the success of the last plan demonstrated that even without huge resources, or real power, the Town Council was able to achieve most of what it set out to - to improve the built environment of Leixlip town centre.

This new plan builds on that success, and more importantly, learns from the problems and mistakes of the past. It covers a wider area than the 1995 plan, and is more adventurous in suggesting new solutions and a more integrated way of thinking about how the town should develop. It focuses strongly on developing the town beyond just the Main Street, and makes challenging suggestions about bringing under used parts of our town into active, everyday life.

As with the 1995 plan, many of it's proposals require action by parties outside our control - Kildare County Council, South Dublin County Council, the major public utilities, and private owners of businesses and residences. Leixlip Town Council has no power to force any of these to carry out our recommendations. However we believe that by showing what can be achieved, and using our influence with all concerned, we can look forward to seeing Leixlip continue to blossom into a beautiful, modern town, with proper regard for its historic past, and confidence in its future. Co-operation, goodwill, and a little care will go a long way to make up for lack of finance and coercive powers. The importance of everybody getting involved in this process, and doing whatever they can to further the objectives of the Plan cannot be overstated.

John Billington and Richard Cole, joint editors of the recently published "Good place Guide" say "there is no escaping the results of urban design, good or bad". Urban design is about making places for people, because without them, a place is meaningless. It is about the streets, squares, and spaces the make up the "public realm", as well as the buildings themselves.With this plan, Leixlip Town Council hope to help us establish that elusive quality - a sense of place. We need your help, and your active involvement. We can't do it without you.

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