Rejuvenation of Roscrea's Castle Street raises local concerns

Concerns about a proposed one-way traffic system and the lack of participation by the Office of Public Works are causing concerns for local elected representatives about the rejuvenation of Roscrea's Castle Street.

Councillors received an update on the project at the March meeting of the Municipal Council for the Roscrea area on Monday, which is currently advancing through the consultation process with both stakeholders and designers.

Roscrea based Fianna Fáil councillor, Michael Smith, said he is reserving judgement on the results of a recent week-long trial of a one-way traffic system and criticised the OPW for not being more involved in the Castle Street rejuvenation project.

Roscrea Castle comes under the remit of the OPW and what role the Castle grounds will play in the rejuvenation project is critical, Cllr. Smith said, adding he is "disappointed" at the lack of participation.

"I won't be giving this my blessing until I am sure it will benefit the town," he told the meeting, adding the "model for the project has to be gotten right."

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Councillor Shane Lee, who recently wrote to the CEO of the local authority,Sinead Carr, expressing concerns about the project, said the local business community needs to be better consulted.

"How the project is handled is one of the most important things - the local business community needs to be consulted and brought on board," he said.

Thomas Duffy, District Engineer for the Municipal District, assured councillors there is "no hidden agenda" about the Castle Street project and that car-park surveys are currently being carried out before moving to the next consultation phase.

"We are in the first steps of cOnsultation - there recently was a one-way traffic trial and we need the detailed information from the car-park survey before we arrange a consultation meeting with traders," Mr Duffy said.

On the involvement of the OPW regarding Roscrea Castle, Mr Duffy said the Castle is "the jewel in Roscrea's crown and is untapped and we aim to unlock that potential,".