Townhall Street refurb plan progresses
Refurbishment and investment at the intersection of Town Hall Street and Farnham Street are part of a wider project aimed at redeveloping and rejuvenating the historic part of Cavan Town while promoting pedestrian access to its central core.
A public consultation period has just been completed on the proposal, which looks to form a new integrated pedestrian crossing point adjacent to the existing Town Hall and demolish the existing toilet block to make way for an outdoor performance space.
A total of 18 car parking spaces will be retained in the area, while railings will be repositioned to promote pedestrian access, along with the installation of new street furniture, new signage, and a specially commissioned mural for the site.
A Part 8 Planning process is now underway, with plans and particulars available from Cavan County Council's website.
The proposed works are to be delivered as part of the €540,518 in funding received by the local authority through the Fáilte Ireland ‘Destination Towns’ initiative.
Allocated towards the end of 2019, the scheme aims to boost the attractiveness and tourism appeal of major towns nationwide.
Masterplan
The proposal, the council say, will “work in tandem” with the Abbeylands redevelopment project, which is being funded through the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund.
Earlier this year Minister for Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD announced that €14.49 million has been allocated to the Cavan Town Abbeylands Masterplan.
The announcement was the culmination of an extensive community, landowner and business consultation process taking place over a number of years, and will see an overall investment of €19.3 million within the town core.
The “transformative” project, as it was described, will see the delivery of a new Remote Working Hub and a Community Services Centre at the former McIntyre's building on Abbey Street and Donohoe's Foodfare respectively. The two new buildings will frame the site of the Old Abbey and the famous bell tower, creating a new civic space, with a second, raised platform-type public space proposed for Abbey Street. New pedestrianised streets will, meanwhile, link to Main Street and Bridge Street, creating over 4,500m² of new, pedestrianised public spaces.
A spokesperson for Cavan County Council says their plans for the junction at Town Hall and Farnham Street will “complement” the overriding vision of the Abbeylands Masterplan to create a “rejuvenated, people-friendly place in this historic part of the Cavan Town core".
Archaeological survey complete
The spokesperson added that the archaeological survey at the site of the Abbeylands Regeneration Project has been completed.
In total five trenches were excavated, with the spokesperson saying that “no additional discoveries” were made after human remains were dug up earlier this month.
Partial human skeletal remains, historical in nature, were discovered during excavations at the carpark to the rear of the former Donohoe's Foodfare.
The area is part of the St Mary’s Franciscan Abbey site, and the council say the remains could date from the 1800s.
“The results of the Pre-Development Archaeological Evaluation are pending,” the council spokesperson added.
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