Council unveils wishlist of projects to unlock Athlone's potential

A wishlist of eye-catching town centre projects designed to capitalise on Athlone's potential over the short, medium, and long term was unveiled at a special meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District last week.

The projects were outlined to councillors in an executive summary of the Athlone Urban Design and Regeneration Framework Plan which was presented last Thursday.

Twelve potential projects were listed in all, including two parks or public amenity areas on the west side of town - one at Connaught Gardens and the other involving a looped walkway taking in the Shannon, Athlone Canal, Ranelagh, and Big Meadow.

A new pedestrian river crossing along the Shannon Weir, described as the Weir Walkway, is included in the plan to "complement" the proposed Ranelagh to Big Meadow looped walkway.

In addition, the plan includes the proposed swimming pool in the Shannon - the location for which has not yet been decided - as well as a boardwalk which has been pencilled in for the town's eastern river bank.

At The Strand, the potential for "a residential or mixed use development" alongside "a new public space" is outlined in the plan, while a new link route from St Mary's Square to the Loughanaskin (former St Mel's Terrace area) is also envisioned.

On the town's west side, the plan outlines a 'Castle Gardens' project consisting of new public realm works near Athlone Castle, as well as streetscape works, a facelift for Connolly Street, and a new Cultural Square linking in with the Dean Crowe Theatre.

The full Athlone Urban Design and Regeneration Framework Plan is due to be published in the coming weeks, and Lorraine Middleton, executive planner with Westmeath County Council's regeneration project team, said it would also include a focus on Connaught Street and its environs.

Ms Middleton said the plan was "spilling over with ambition" and the projects proposed in it had the potential to "really elevate the status" of Athlone.

The detail on when these projects might come to pass is less clear, as Ms Middleton said each would be dependent on the availability of State funding from various potential sources.

However she mentioned the restoration of the Athlone No. 1 Gun Battery, public realm works at the Castle, a planned revamp of Market Square, and the swimming pool in the Shannon as projects that were well-positioned to secure funding in the near future.

One of the aims of the plan, Ms Middleton said, is "to strengthen the east-west spine" of Athlone and "unify the town" as one destination.

Responding to the presentation, Athlone Mayor Louise Heavin described it as "a visionary plan" for the town.

"I have no doubt it will highlight the town as an attractive proposition for investment from employers, and indeed for people with families who want to make this town their home," she said.

She noted that some of the projects outlined in the document were "hugely welcome", mentioning in particular the new green areas proposed for the west side.

"A project for a good park on the west side of town has been long-awaited. This plan identifies two, linked down the canal, and I know people will get behind that," she said.

Cllr Frankie Keena said it was clear a lot of work had gone into the plan, and he sought more detail on how the various proposed projects would proceed.

The plan had the potential "to get the conversation going," said Cllr John Dolan. "It's important the message goes out that this is not a definitive plan, it's a proposal, and it's important that there is input on it from the public and from public representatives going forward."

Cllr Aengus O'Rourke described the plan as "thought-provoking" and said he hoped everyone in Athlone would engage with the various project proposals contained in it.

He noted that the initial design images for the projects displayed no parking in areas of the town where parking is currently in place, such as The Strand, St Peter's Square, St Mary's Square, and others.

"The imagery in this document shows all of that car parking space gone, and a public realm where people are hovering around and enjoying themselves.

"It sets a very 'Polyanna' kind of vision for the town, which is fine, but we have to maintain access to the town at the same time. I'm sure that car parking will be a feature, going forward, with all of these projects."

Tom Farrell also mentioned parking provision, saying that if people didn't have access to parking they would be deterred from coming into the town.

Responding, Ms Middleton reiterated that the illustrations in the plan were purely to show the potential of each project, and that all would be subject to a detailed design and public consultation, through the planning process, at a later stage.

"This is a live, evolving document that is constantly under review," she said.

"The intention is to make Athlone the best place to live, work and visit, and that includes parking."

She said the full version of the Athlone Urban Design and Regeneration Framework Plan would be published after the final edits were made to it over the coming weeks.