Clare County Council has been allocated €1,600,000 towards the Ennis Town Centre Public Realm Regeneration Project which will lead to rejuvenation of key town centre streetscapes.
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar TD and the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoin Murphy TD today (Monday) announced that Ennis is among the first successful applicants under the Government’s €2 billion Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, which is intended to drive regeneration and rejuvenation of strategic and underutilized areas within Ireland’s cities and large towns.
The funding allocated to the Ennis Town Centre Public Realm Regeneration project will cater for the delivery of two projects, namely Parnell Street and the Lanes and Bow-ways (€1,411,000), as well as Barrack Square and Old Barrack Street, O’Connell Street and High Street (€189,000).
Meanwhile, support has been committed under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund to the principle of the development of the Venue, a new cultural and civic centre for Shannon. The funding, the details of which will be confirmed in the coming weeks, enables further development of the proposal as a community development and cultural project.
Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy, Mayor of Ennis Municipal District, said, “The planned upgrade of key town centre locations is a very welcome development. I believe that Clare County Council’s proposed plan will deliver a new a vibrant town centre that will benefit residents, business and visitors for many years to come.”
Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council, said, “The upgrade of the public realm in Ennis has been a longstanding objective of Clare County Council and this funding represents a significant early success for the 2040 Economic and Spatial Plan for Ennis. Early consultation on the development of this plan has identified a need to utilise the liveability and quality of life of Ennis as an asset to drawing new business to the town and environs to make it a vibrant and inviting place where people would choose to live.”
Welcoming the announcement, Carmel Kirby, Director of Services with responsibility for Ennis Municipal District, said : “A feasibility study has been completed for public realm improvements to O’Connell Square and High Street, and Barrack Square and Old Barrack Street. The grant of €189,000 will enable Clare County Council to develop the design further and bring it to part 8 planning stage with full public consultation. The objective is to transform Barrack Square and Old Barrack Street into a ‘café quarter’ that would act as a destination within the heart of the town. In O’Connell Square and High Street, works will seek to enhance this most important civic space in Ennis Town Centre,” concluded Ms. Kirby.