Photos jbsphotos kilkenny
The rain eased off. The sun came out. Children ran in races, played various sports, and received medals galore .
The fun factor was incredible as The Butts area gathered as part of the community fun day.
It was all part of The Butts area regeneration programme.
When initially founded, The Butts Area Regeneration Project aim was to carry out a detailed assessment of the Butts area and to engage fully with residents to determine what measures could best benefit the community. Funding to the amount of €850,000 was made available by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to prepare a detailed plan of actions for the Butts Area Regeneration Project. A Community Liaison Officer for the project was appointed in August 2024 .Vincent Hannon Architects (VHA) were selected as consultants for the project. A Town Team was established with community representatives from the Butts. There are also various sub-groups in place on issues including Housing, Sport, Youth, Age Friendly, Heritage, Traffic/Road Safety, Education and Tidy Estate/Bio Diversity. Several community consultation events have taken place, the most recent and final one on June 25th 2025 in St Canice’s Neighbourhood Hall, Butts Green. Speaking with the Kilkenny Observer newspaper, Chairman of the Kilkenny Town team, Paul Clifford said the scheme had come on in leaps and bounds, “We linked with The Medieval Mile committee on the day their half marathon race took place and finished at The Waterbarracks”, said Paul. Present on the day and keeping everything moving smoothly were Council representatives, Annette Fitzpatrick,( Town regeneration officer) Marie Smith ( community liaison officer) and Vincent Guthrie (Medieval Mile committee). On the day, youngsters and adults alike enjoyed burgers and ice cream. A great day was had by all
Plans
On the 10th of September plans were on display in the Neighbourhood Hall on The Butts Green for ten housing units to be constructed on the site at Lord Edward Street known locally as Sister Anthony’s. Most of these new units are age friendly and the plans were well received by the community who have been engaging in the process over the last year or more.
