Pedestrianising areas, upgrading footpaths, uniformity of design of buildings to provide continuity and plenty of planting. Those are all the things that help a town look well, Westport town architect Simon Wall said in a talk hosted by Avondhu Tourism Association in the community youth centre in Fermoy on Tuesday.

He used a slideshow to illustrate his points and show what was done in the scenic Co Mayo town, which was named by the Irish Times as 'best small town to live in' in Ireland. And much has been done there to tidy up the streetscape by undergrounding 95% of its overhead lines, the judicious restriction of cars in the town centre, a policy of using space over shops for living accommodation, the use of natural slate roofs in buildings and a comprehensive planting programme.

Simon Wall spoke of a town where the town council, local Tidy Towns and other bodies worked together as a cohesive team to bring projects to fruition. They accessed LEADER and other funding to pay for the works with financial support  from the town council. They got funding for much more ambitious projects too such as the €5M national allocation to enable them to become a 'smarter travel' town, allowing them to develop extensive cycle lanes and a linked up system for public and private transport that is a revelation. They also developed a skate park and green play area which Simon Wall said helped stop young people from congregating in other areas and reduced anti-social behaviour. They even reopened their old railway line, providing a 45K open 'greenway' all the way to Achill, a project that he said had gone far beyond their own expectations with 175,000 users annually. It won them a prize and brings in 7.2M in tourism benefit annually.

"There's a huge future nationally for greenways," he told those in attendance. "Being a national outdoor adventure destination is a big income generator" and had been very positive for them in terms of income, he said. They also have a central booking area in the town for all local events.

He showed images of the town centre as it looked over the years. The change was remarkable, transformed from back in the '80s when it was little more than a giant car park, to the much more people-friendly place it is today. He did stress however that taking vehicles off the main thoroughfares had to be counteracted by providing sufficient parking in adjacent streets.

"Responsible citizenship is key. Getting all the different bodies and groups working together in a unified way is what's needed. Accommodation providers, activity providers and restaurants together with the town council are part of a collective, organised under the heading 'Destination Westport', he explained.

Another very successful initiative they have is a music festival run every two years which has grown in stature and size. "Being away from big urban centres we have had to constantly re-invent ourselves," he pointed out. He said they'd looked at other towns, asking themselves who was doing it best. Cork is, he said. "County Cork is the exemplar." They studied towns like Clonakilty and Kinsale and spoke with the county's former architect.

"We do get vandalism but you pick yoursef up and keep going," he went on, explaining how they also tackled graffiti. He summed up by saying "it is about striking a balance and managing what you have".

His talk was described by people in the audience as 'great' and 'inspiring'.

The presentation was attended by Fermoy town clerk Pauline Moriarty, Cork County Council architect Claire O'Sullivan and other officials from county hall and by town councillors Noel McCarthy and John Murphy. Members of Fermoy Business Action Group were also in attendance as were members of the Revive Fermoy group, local business people and other interested individuals.

A number of questions were asked of Simon Wall in the question and answer session that followed the talk. He also spoke with people afterwards while refreshments were served. Those in attendance were given plenty of food for thought to take away.

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