Templeshannon to be the new Temple Bar?
CONVERSATION BEGINS ON WHAT CAN BE DONE FOR ENNISCORTHY’S HISTORIC AREA
AS Enniscorthy Municipal District councillors met for the first time to formally discuss what can be done to rejuvenate the Templeshannon area of Enniscorthy, one recurring suggestion was to turn the historic area of the town into Wexford’s answer to Temple Bar.
‘I always said it should be the Temple Bar of Enniscorthy,’ said Cllr Paddy Kavanagh, at last Thursday’s meeting.
‘Very few businesses seem to be able to survive,’ Cllr Oliver Walsh said. ‘We could set it up as a niche market like a Temple Bar area of Enniscorthy.’
However, not all councillors were in favour of turning Templeshannon into a bustling night spot.
‘If we are making it like Temple Bar, we can do without the after hours bits,’ said Cllr Barbara Anne Murphy. ‘We want it to be a place where people can shop, socialise and feel safe and I don’t think we have that now,’ she added.
Councillors met with representatives of Ove Arup Consultants, the company charged with coming up with a plan for Templeshannon, with parking and traffic flow high on the list of areas councillors feel need addressing.
‘The project starts from a conversation on the strengths and weaknesses of the area,’ said Project Director Manuel Garrido of Ove Arup Consultants, who said that enhancing accessibility to Templeshannon and improving parking in the area are two areas that they have noted need to be addressed.
Mr Garrido was eager to hear the ideas of those who know Templeshannon best – the councillors – and listened as suggestions were made from around the table.
Councillor Paddy Kavanagh highlighted the fact that Enniscorthy is a historic place, with Templeshannon being the oldest area of it.
‘We celebrated the 1500th anniversary of Enniscorthy town in 2010 and contrary to the belief of some, it did all start in Templeshannon,’ he said.
Cllr Kavanagh was the first to link the area to Dublin’s bustling tourist and nightlife hub.
‘I always said it should be the Temple Bar of Enniscorthy,’ he said.
However, in order for Templeshannon to attract people in, Cllr Kavanagh said that the traffic issues should be addressed. ‘It is a bottleneck,’ he said. ‘I would be of the opinion that we need to demolish a lot of the buildings,’ he added.
Introducing more car parking space to the area was a need highlighted by Cllr Kavanagh, who said it would encourage people to park there and use the footbridge to get to the heart of the town.
‘If people were going to do their shopping in the main part of town, they will then be returning to enjoy the “Temple Bar” area in the evenings,’ he said.
Cllr Barbara Anne Murphy wasn’t so convinced that modelling Templeshannon on Temple Bar would be a good idea.
‘If we are making it like Temple Bar, we can do without the after hours bits,’ she said.
‘We want to make it a place where people want to be. It needs to be a place that is family-friendly and appealing.’
Cllr Murphy said that the first thing that must be looked at is accessibility to the area.
‘We want it to be a place where people can shop, socialise and feel safe and I don’t think we have that now,’ she added.
Cllr Johnny Mythen reminisced on a ‘vibrant’ Templeshannon he remembers from his childhood, and said he believes it is mainly the recession that has caused it to become neglected. He echoed Cllr Kavanagh’s comments about taking inspiration from Temple Bar.
‘I would like to see a mixture of shops and living space being put there. We have a nightclub already,’ he said.
On querying whether buildings could be taken out during the project, Mr Garrido informed him that all options can be considered.
The development of the railway station and area by the river were also suggested by Cllr Mythen.
Cllr Kathleen Codd Nolan reiterated Cllr Murphy’s points about the importance of accessibility and raised the idea of pedestrianising the area. She also highlighted some of the advantages that Templeshannon already has to build upon.
‘You have the swimming pool and hotel there already,’ she said. ‘We could generate something with young people in mind.
‘The old buildings also need to be looked at,’ she continued. ‘They are a huge historical aspect of the town. They can help to bring in tourism and we could take Vinegar Hill into that also as it is based nearby.’
Cllr Codd Nolan said that the project must be looked at in terms of ‘the big picture’.
‘It can’t be left to develop on its own,’ she said.
On passing through Tem- pleshannon daily, Cllr Oliver Walsh said that he finds it sad to see how often shops in the area are closed down.
‘Very few businesses seem to be able to survive,’ he said. ‘We could set it up as a niche market like a Temple Bar area of Enniscorthy.’
Cllr Walsh pointed out one success story in that of Berney’s Saddlery, which has been a thriving business in the community for decades.
‘Maybe we could have more businesses like that here,’ he suggested.
Director of Services Mr John Carley also mentioned the success of Berney’s, adding that several other businesses have managed to do well.
‘Templeshannon has a lot going for it. It has the leisure centre, the hotel and the railway. That’s not to say that all businesses are thriving. Obviously a lot more are struggling. Our responsibility is to make it a better place to live and get around,’ he said.
Mr Garrido took the views of the members on board, saying that it was good to see the area through their eyes.
‘It’s refreshing to see that the members still have fresh eyes to look at the area with potential,’ he said.
‘We need to look at this in terms of short-term goals as well as long term goals. We can’t promise people change in 20 years time; it has to be next year.’
‘We need to stop the process of decline as soon as possible.’
Mr Garrido highlighted the historic potential of the area and said it must be taken on board.
‘You can’t reinvigorate an area and forget the history of the site. You need to respect the history,’ he said.
The three key areas that Mr Garrido said they will now look at are traffic plans, parking and uses of the area.
‘We must not forget there is an existing population. We need to see who they are and find out what their needs are,’ he added.
Arup will work in conjunction with Sheridan Tierney Architects and Future Analytics Consulting (FAC) to prepare the plan. The consultants have been asked to submit a draft plan on the project by December 2.