Public say on new streetscape

MEMBERS have been reassured that the public will get their say on a long-term Public Realm Plan for the town.

It’s after councillors were told that the Council had made an application to the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund on 28th September for ¤10million.

The funds, if granted, would allow the Council to start implementing aspects of the new town design, such as the facelift to O’Connell Street and the creation of a Stephen Street Cultural Plaza on the site of the current car park.

Senior Planner with the Council Frank Moylan told members that the Public Realm Plan was intended to become part of the forthcoming Sligo City Local Area Plan.

However they had to quickly finish the plan and submit it as the “overarching vision” for Sligo once the Government opened up applications for the Urban Fund.

Independent Councillor Declan Bree was worried the public had not been given the chance to oppose any aspect of the plan as a result of the rush to finish it.

Moylan told members that there was “nothing of a policy nature in the plan” and it was a “high level document setting out a plan that was probably going to take 10-20 years to develop.”

He said there had been “very detailed consultation” by design consultancy Building Design Partnership (BDP) last March and May which got very positive responses from invited stakeholders.

He added that each part of the plan will be subject to Part 8 planning procedures and will all come back before members and every part will have its own public consultation process.

Fine Gael Cllr Hubert Keaney and Mayor of Sligo Municipal District Rosaleen O’Grady both welcomed the progress.