Council to tender for contractor for Carrick-on-Suir's €18m regeneration scheme early next year

Tipperary County Council plans to go to tender to appoint a contractor to roll out the first phase of Carrick-on-Suir’s ambitious regeneration scheme early next year after the town was allocated €14.39m funding for the project.

Carrick-on-Suir received the largest grant out of the 23 towns around the country allocated Rural Regeneration Development funding by the Department of Rural & Community Development last week. It has been heartily welcomed by Carrick-on-Suir’s political, local authority and business leaders.

Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District (MD) Cathaoirleach Cllr David Dunne lauded it as a “game changer” for his hometown.

The regeneration scheme funding comes exactly a year since Minister for Rural & Community Development Heather Humphreys visited Carrick-on-Suir and viewed the town’s regeneration scheme plans.

The officially titled: Carrick on Suir Regeneration Plan – A Journey from the Suir Blueway to the Ormond Castle Quarter, will transform the streetscape of Main Street, North Quay and the ancient lanes linking them and aims to connect the Suir Blueway at Sean Healy Park with Ormond Castle.

Upgrading of Sean Healy Park, Greystone Street, Sean Kelly Square, West Gate and Strand Walk are also proposed in the plan.

Among the plan’s goals is to make Carrick-on-Suir town centre more pedestrian and cycling friendly and more attractive to shoppers and tourists.

The RRDF funding will also be invested in developing a digital hub in the town’s old Post Office Building on Main Street and the public realm upgrade of Castle Street.

Tipperary County Council will have to provide €3.6m matching funding towards the regeneration scheme.

Carrick-on-Suir MD’s Director of Services Brian Beck described the Department of Rural & Community Development’s €14.39m RRDF allocation to Carrick-on-Suir as “fantastic” news and a “once in a life-time” investment in the town.

Due to the scale of the plan, it will be rolled out in the town in phases.

The council plans to go to tender to appoint a contractor for the project in the first quarter of next year. The local authority’s engineers and the contractor will have to sit down and decide which part of the project makes most logistical sense to do first.

Mr Beck stressed the council will endeavour to ensure the regeneration scheme works will cause the minimum disruption to local businesses and traffic.

In view of this the council is considering whether to hold off on sections of the regeneration scheme, such as the revamp of Main Street, until the upgrade of the N24 in the town currently underway is completed.

He also stressed the council has listened to Main Street traders’ concerns about the number of car parking spaces that will be removed from the street under the regeneration scheme.

The council has identified a site for a car park immediately off Main Street on council owned land, he revealed.

“It would provide the same number of spaces that are being removed (from Main Street),” said Mr Beck.

The other controversial part of Carrick-on-Suir’s Regeneration Scheme, a car park proposed for Blueway visitors on part of Sean Healy Park, was removed from the regeneration scheme plan just before the RRDF application was submitted in April after the Save Sean Healy Park residents group mounted a legal challenge.

Cllr Kieran Bourke, who was involved in the Save Sean Healy Park Committee, said they welcomed the removal of the car park from the regeneration scheme but would like a letter from the council promising no car park will ever be developed on the park.

Mr Beck responded the council was continuing to work with Davins GAA Club to develop a Blueway visitors car park at another location and praised the club for “very generously” working with the local authority on this issue.

Carrick-on-Suir’s two councillors, meanwhile, have led the welcomes for the RRDF allocation to their hometown and paid tribute to council officials, particularly Carrick MD Director of Services Brian Beck, for their work in developing and driving forward the regeneration plan and securing the funding.

Cllr Dunne of Sinn Féin said he was “overjoyed” at this “unbelievable” news, which he described as a “complete game changer for Carrick-on-Suir”.

Cllr Bourke of Fianna Fáil declared he was “over the moon” and “thrilled” at the funding and described it as a “huge positive” for Carrick-on-Suir.

Cloneen Fine Gael Cllr Mark Fitzgerald, who chaired Carrick MD when the Carrick regeneration scheme planning application was approved, and Senator Garret Ahearn have also welcomed the funding allocated to Carrick.

Senator Ahearn praised Cllr Fitzgerald’s efforts during his term as Cathaoirleach of Carrick MD in getting the regeneration scheme planning application for Carrick approved and recalled how the plan was a “very difficult one to get over the line”.

He was referring to the difficult votes on the planning application on Carrick MD when Carrick’s two councillors voted against the planning application due to huge public opposition in the town to the Sean Healy Park car park proposal and proposed loss of parking on Main Street.

“He played a key role in making sure that application was there to be picked and the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, delivered on that commitment that Carrick-on-Suir would be looked after,” the Senator added.

Seamus Campbell of Carrick-on-Suir Business Association said the RRDF announcement was “fantastic news” and will “freshen up” the town centre. He hopes the regeneration scheme’s works to connect the Suir Blueway, town centre and Ormond Castle will bring more people into the town and increase business for local traders.

He paid tribute to Brian Beck, Carrick MD Administrator Marie O’Gorman and local public representatives for their efforts in securing this funding.

And he also praised Carrick-on-Suir Economic & Tourism Development Committee members for their work behind the scenes. The Carrick 2030 Strategy this committee devised was the basis for the Carrick regeneration scheme.