Tipperary council gears up to start first Carrick-on-Suir Regeneration Scheme projects

Tipperary County Council plans to go to tender this month to appoint a contractor to roll out the first projects in Carrick-on-Suir’s €18m regeneration scheme and is hoping to have the contractor starting work in June.

The first regeneration scheme projects to go out to tender will be the upgrade of Carrick-on-Suir’s Sean Healy Park off the Clonmel Road and at the other side of the town, the revamp of Castle Park and a facelift to the section of Castle Street closest to Ormond Castle.

The council is also planning to put out to tender in the next few months the redevelopment of Carrick-on-Suir’s old Post Office building on Main Street.

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Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District Director of Services Brian Beck announced the plans to go to tender for the regeneration scheme’s first projects at Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District’s monthly meeting.

“We are hoping to have them (the contractor) on site in June and aiming to have the first phase ready by the end of the year,” he told councillors.

He said the council hoped to have the contractor for the digital hub at the old Post Office on site later this year.

Mr Beck stressed that while work is underway on Sean Healy Park, Castle Park and Castle Street the regeneration scheme’s designers will be working on getting the second phase started.

“We are not holding back. We have a huge amount of work going on in the background,” he added.

The Department of Rural & Community Development allocated €14.39m Rural Regeneration Development funding to Carrick-on-Suir’s Regeneration Scheme last November.

The county council will contribute a further €3.6m matching funding.

The facelift planned for Castle Park aims to turn it into a paradise for pollinators with the planting of a wildflower meadow, more native trees and hedging.

New public lighting, resurfacing and widening of the park’s main footpaths and a new looped footpath providing a continuous circuit around the park are also proposed.

In relation to Castle Street, it’s proposed to upgrade the parking area on the part of the street next to Ormond Castle.

And the plans for Sean Healy Park include the upgrade of footpaths and hard paving areas, widening of the Blueway and associated landscaping and services work.

District Engineer Willie Corby, meanwhile, told the meeting that between 15 and 20 trenches will be dug in town centre streets, including Main Street over the next six months ahead of their resurfacing to see where gas, electricity and water are located.

Cllr Bourke requested the council engage an engineering or architectural company to map out the location of these services under the town’s streets when this investigation work is being carried out.

Mr Beck said Irish Water has indicated it will upgrade water mains, sewers and storm drains under the streets ahead of the regeneration scheme revamp.

The work will be carried out by the contractor appointed to roll out the regeneration scheme.

“That is another significant investment coming into the town,” said Mr Beck.

“We are anxious to get that done. The last thing we want is to have problems with water services down the line and have to dig it up.”

Mr Beck also outlined that a “multitude” of additional empty ducting will be laid underground for any new services over the next four decades as part of these preliminary works.