Clare County Council and Ennis 2040 DAC are inviting residents and stakeholders in Ennis and the wider county to come along to public engagement drop-in events for the proposed Abbey Street Car Park development in Ennis.
Dates have been scheduled to allow members of the public to view in person the proposed development plans which have been worked on for the past 12 months. The plans can also be viewed on the Ennis 2040 (www.ennis2040.ie ) and Clare County Council (www.clarecoco.ie) web sites.
Information boards will be available in the foyer of Clare County Council from Tuesday 6th February until Saturday 10th February. The public will also be able to provide feedback on the plans on Clare County Council’s Have Your Say portal.
Kevin Corrigan, COO of Ennis 2040 DAC, said: “We are delighted to be able to show the public the considerable progress we have made over the last 12 months in developing the concept for the Abbey Street Car Park site. We are looking forward to sharing these exciting plans for the future economic development of the town.”
Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council, said: “Our vision for Ennis is to strengthen its role as a key regional economic driver and major tourist destination in the Mid-West through the expansion and diversification of its economic offering. The Abbey Street Car Park development is a special project which has the potential to set the standard for brownfield development in County Towns. We welcome feedback from members of the public and hope they will attend one of the drop-in events.”
The Abbey Street Car Park development project is part of the Ennis 2040 Economic and Spatial Strategy and is integrated into the Clare County Development Plan 2023 to 2029, both of which aim to deliver a range of necessary developments to make Ennis a better place to live, work, visit and invest in.
The core objectives are to future proof the town centre by encouraging investment, creating employment, diversifying Ennis’ retail offering while also accommodating attractive public spaces that will enhance and complement the town centre as a destination for residents and visitors.
The proposed building will consist of a large retail space at ground and first floor levels together with office accommodation on the upper floors carefully designed to respect and integrate with the existing architecture of Ennis. A raised river walkway is also proposed along the northern edge of the building to provide views of the River Fergus as well as substantial space for recreation and leisure.
For anyone who can’t attend the events but would like to learn more and view the plans, please visit www.ennis2040.ie/ or www.clarecoco.ie