By Dan Walsh at Enniscorthy Municipal District special meeting
Part 8 of the Enniscorthy Castle Quarter project was presented at a special meeting of Enniscorthy Municipal District Council on Tuesday by David Whitty, Executive Engineer at the Special Projects Office, the members approved the plan and Mr. Whitty said; “We are now ready to launch Part 8 and get the process under way.”
It is envisaged that “the Quarter will provide a focal point for the rich heritage of the town” and “will be the focal attraction and orientation space for tourism in Enniscorthy.”
So, what will happen? The presentation told us that it will involve “phased pedestrianisation and pedestrian prioritisation in all spaces in line with incremental active travel management measures for the town centre, such as one-way traffic management, closure to through traffic, time-based controls etc.”
Phased pedestrianisation of Castle Hill, with potential closure to traffic at a later stage and an extension of pedestrian traffic at Abbey Quay (this plan has been mentioned previously and could follow the demolition of the Seamus Rafter Bridge and its replacement with a footbridge). An upgrade of Slaney Street and Slaney Place also gets a mention!
The presentation and subsequent discussion with members focussed on Enniscorthy Castle, the public garden planned for the rear, the dismantling of the former ballroom and night club – Castle Ballroom – and the full refurbishment works to the 3-storey Victorian building at 6/7 Castle Street for use as a ticket office and café, with exhibition rooms above.
The reference to 6/7 Castle Street is the premises of My Sport and the team there have reached out to social media stating; “We want to reassure all our customers that My Sport Enniscorthy is very much OPEN and here to stay.
“The council has not contacted us about the detail of any proposed development, and based on what we understand, the residents of the apartments shown have not been contacted either.”
Using journalism privilege I am reliably informed that a CPO (Compulsory Purchase Order) has been served on the owner of the property known as 7/8 Castle Hill.
The council members were supportive of the project. Cllr Aidan Browne was concerned about losing the apartments at 7/8 and the loss of My Sport and he also asked that the Athenaeum be part of the project. He was seconded by Cllr Jackser Owens who pleaded for three toilets on the site!
Cllr Pat Kehoe wondered about moving the ’98 Centre to the site and Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy said; “we should be arguing the case for the Athenaeum.” Cllr John O’Rourke and Trish Byrne also welcomed the plan.
Director of Services, Carolyne Godkin explained that the Athenaeum Hall, which is open for public events, the key is leased to a group and is owned by St. Aidan’s Parish. She emphasised that the Athenaeum is not part of this development.
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