The 5.72 hectare / 14.13 acre Rectory Fields site.
THE May monthly meeting of Offaly County Council was held in Birr Library on Monday May 19th last and during the meeting Andrew Murray, the Director of Services for Planning, Economic Development, Regeneration, Tourism, Heritage, Just Transition and the Municipal District of Edenderry, talked briefly about the Rectory Fields site in Birr.
The Director told the meeting that the County Council Executive is determined to “unlock the Rectory Fields site.”
Mr Murray said it is a “really important site in the centre of Birr and it has the potential to be transformative.”
The Council Executive has been talking about doing something with the Rectory Fields, which is a 5.72 hectare / 14.13 acre site, for the last five years or so but nothing has happened. The councillors have been talking about doing something with this grassland area for a lot longer than five years. At one stage a school was proposed for the site.
In 2020 Cllr Peter Ormond suggested an athletics track; during the same meeting Cllr John Carroll suggested vegetable allotments. In March 2020 Frank Heslin, a previous Director of Services, told the councillors that the Council had bought the site and was planning to build social housing there, perhaps 30 to 40 houses, as well as the proposed Primary Care Centre. Since then it was decided to not locate the Primary Care Centre on the site and it's not certain how many houses will eventually be built there; nor has a time scale been proposed.
The site is mentioned in the important Local Area Plan, which was passed and adopted by the councillors in May 2023.
An extensive public consultation process was also carried out by the Paul Hogarth Company on behalf of the County Council. The Paul Hogarth Company are based in Dublin, Belfast and Edinburgh. They are landscape architects, urban designers and planners. Their public consultation process occurred during 2023 and can be viewed online. Much of this makes for interesting reading.
“This process,” the Company state at the beginning of their document, “aims to sensitively develop the Rectory Fields as an integral part of your Birr. It was clear from the findings of the first part of the consultation process how important it is to provide space for people, be it public, green or active space.” Paul Hogarth pointed out that “an emerging vision, design principles and concept for the area” had emerged during the consultation process.
“The purpose of this project,” the company continued, “is to develop a vision for the future of this important site owned by Offaly County Council in line with the recently adopted Local Area Plan (LAP). The area is zoned for Town Centre and Mixed Use.”
One of the headings in the company's document is “Rectory Fields - a pioneering 21st Century neighbourhood in the heart of 18th Century Birr.”
The company says Offaly County Council is committed to creating an area which is: Green and biodiverse; a child-friendly, low traffic neighbourhood; and a home to a thriving and diverse town centre community.”
Paul Hogarth also asked the public this question: “What do you think would not be an appropriate use for the former Rectory Lands?” This question revealed, in the public's mind, the most inappropriate use for the land would be - Parking; Retail / Hospitality; Housing; Commercial / Employment. The most appropriate use would be - Public Space; Sports / Amenities; Public Services.
Paul Hogarth promised to provide for the needs communicated by the public, “such as more public spaces and more green spaces.”
They promised “to create an innovative mixed use neighbourhood for Birr Town Centre which will:
1. Highlight and retain the mature trees, hedgerows and heritage wall.
2. Create multiple pedestrian and cycling access points to integrate the area with the rest of Birr. Vehicular access from the north.
3. Appreciate the Georgian architecture of Birr by echoing its malls and defining features in the modern architecture.
4. Create space for activities. This means pedestrianised space, green space and an opportunity to incorporate space for exercise in loops of set distances through the area.
5. Prioritise green solutions at the forefront of the design such as biodiversity, sustainable drainage and active travel (walking and cycling).”
The company pointed out that the Masterplan will not all be built at once but will be developed as a series of phases “over many years and as the funding becomes available.”
The emerging first phase of the plan shows that there will be a provision of space for nature and people by creating “wide routes for activity through the Rectory Lands, ideal for playing, running, walking and cycling. Other areas of the site, during this first phase, will continue to be used for grazing.
“In the future, while retaining links and green spaces, sensitive development is proposed to transform the grazing areas into a new town centre neighbourhood, including a mix of housing types and tenures (such as townhouses, housing for elderly) as well as other uses. By keeping sustainability at the forefront, the design aims to be as innovative as Birr has always been.”
In the Council's Local Area Plan the Council states that “The 5.72ha ‘Rectory Lands’ are of key importance to future development of the town centre. The lands are located to the rear of Emmet/Townsend Street, in close proximity to Emmet Square and adjoining residential housing developments to the east and north. The key to any development on this site is that it knits into and further extends the built form/urban grain of Emmet/Townsend Street and hence the town centre.
It is also seen as an opportunity to integrate housing developments to the north of the town centre into the urban fabric of the area. Movement and access through the site from Emmet/Townsend Street and adjoining housing estates is of key importance to its future development.
Public spaces, access points and routes must be fronted and overlooked by development. Potential exists for mixed-use development in the backlands of Emmet/Townsend Street overlooking any new development on the Rectory Lands and incorporating improved public access from Emmet/Townsend Street onto the site. Potential also exists for the development of the backlands of existing residential developments at John’s Mall, but this may prove more difficult due to the need to protect the character of buildings of significant importance on these site plots.
“The Rectory Lands are considered to constitute a strategic site within the town.” The LAP says the Council is committed to “understanding the natural and heritage assets of the site and its context to guide their protection and integration with the scheme as appropriate;” and to creating a high quality environment in terms of “building form, layout, materials and public realm.”
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