Work expected to be completed on Grand Canal Greenway in Tullamore next May

WORK on the extension of the Grand Canal Greenway in Tullamore is expected to be completed by May of next year and work is currently underway on the project from Kilbeggan Bridge to the eastern end of Convent View.
That's according to Area Engineer, John Connelly, who briefed members of Tullamore Municipal District on progress on regeneration works in the area at last Friday afternoon's monthly meeting.
An area on the bank of the canal has now been cordoned off at Convent View to accommodate the widened footpath as work continues excavating the street and existing footpath.
A one-way system is now in operation for the duration of the works which are likely to continue until Christmas or early New Year.
During this period no parking on Convent View will be allowed though residents, with permits, can park on nearby Store St and St Brigid's Place.
The new one way system runs east to west along Convent View and vehicles travelling in a west to east direction will be diverted though Davitt St, Callary St and the by-pass.
The works at Convent View include widening of footpaths to two metres along the canal bank, undergrounding of cables and street enhancement, new paving and kerbs, road realignment, resurfacing and relining, traffic calming features, signage and new lighting.
The Grand Canal Urban Greenway project, funded under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, will complement the previously completed URDF funded Tullamore Town Centre enhancement works.
Meanwhile work on the link road between High St and the Tanyard will be completed early in the New Year, revealed Mr Connelly at Friday's meeting
He added that planning and design work on the new link between O'Connor Square and Church St was continuing.
He said that the public consultation period on the Grand Canal Harbour Masterplan had concluded and a final report on submissions from the general public was now being completed..
Mr Connelly also revealed that the derelict buiilding – adjacent to Esker Arts Centre – had been purchased and details would be co-ordinated with the new owner regarding works on Meath Lane.
The Area Engineer added that work had been completed on the water feature in the town park and it would be fully operational in the next few weeks.
He revealed that €60,000 had been allocated for works on the playground there and a further €80,000 for work on the playground in Connolly Park.
Mr Connelly added that a bus shelter will be installed at William St in Tullamore in the near future while public consultation was continuing regarding similar shelters in Clara and Tubber.
He said that environmental screening on the Tullamore Cycle Network had been completed and further details of the project were now being prepared.
Public consultation on planned traffic calming works at Cox's Bridge and a new layout design for Whitehall Bridge had been completed – no submissions from the public were received on Cox's Bridge and just one regarding Whitehall Bridge.
Plans for a new pedestrian crossing at Srah Road were also in the pipeline, revealed Mr Connelly.
Reacting to the detailed report, Cathaoirleach Cllr Frank Moran said there was some concerns in Clara regarding the proposed bus shelter and he looked forward to the next stage of public consultation.
Regarding the bus shelter planned for Tubber, Cllr Moran thanked officials for taking the time to meet members of the local community on site to hear their concerns.
Cllr Declan Harvey asked had the council not committed to erecting a fence around Acres Folly in Tullamore at the back of houses there.
The Park Avenue based public representative also sought a start date for work on the playground in Connolly Park and asked if there was a plan for the scheme.
Cllr Harvey also asked if work could commence on a crossing at Srah Road "sooner rather than later" as he was concerned about speeding there.
He added that people in the Convent View area were happy with the remedial works to address flooding there.
"They're waiting for downpour to see if the sewage appears again," added Cllr Harvey.
He said it was a pity Irish Water would not carry out the major works required at the same time work was progressing on the Greenway there.
"It would be great to get the two things sorted together," stressed the Fianna Fail man.
"I know Irish Water are trying to do a plan but there's no point in having a plan in five to six months time when the other job is done," he added.
Cllr Neil Feighery complimented the council's team on the huge amount of work taking place and said the various new links would open up the centre of Tullamore.
He said the new link rod would really open up Church St for retail and commercial development, in keeping with the Government's Town Centre First plan.
The Fine Gael man expressed his concern at the lack of feedback from the general public during public consultation periods on various projects.
"It's amazing only one submission was received on Whitehall Bridge considering the population of the town," he added.
Cllr Feighery speculated that people only became engaged with projects when the work was actually taking place and wondered if there were other ways than public consultation to involve the general public. He suggested the council look to practices in other counties.
Agreeing Cllr Tony McCormack said maybe newspaper articles on different project would encourage more involvement from the public at planning stage.
"A lot of the time there are good ideas but they come too late," he pointed out.
Cllr McCormack said the new link roads would create huge commercial activity and bring new jobs in the Tanyard and Church St.
He said he realised the town centre had been decimated in recent years and did not have the retail offering people wanted.
Adding he would like to see a better mix of businesses in the town centre, Cllr McCormack also referred to the importance of living quarters being provided over retail premises as was the practice when he was growing up.
He praised the council for work on the various projects and said the public consultation process had been very effective in areas such as Roselawn.
Cllr Sean O'Brien paid tribute to the council for their road works at Convent Road, Arden View, Patrick St and O'Brien St.
He said there was some concern in Kilbride St about work on a planned pedestrian crossing which could interfere with retal trade.
Cllr Ollie Bryant paid tribute to the council for its "massive" clean-up operation at Chancery Close as did Cllr Aoife Masterson. "The work had a fantastic impact on the community and really uplifted spirits there," said the Sinn Fein public representative.
Responding to councillors queries, John Connelly acknowledged concerns about the public consultation process and noted that the development of Whitehall Bridge had received a lot of publicity in the Tribune. He said engagement on projects tended to be better in areas such as Ballycumber and Mountbolus.
Senior Executive Officer, Tom Shanahan, said the council promoted its development plans on social media and as well as in advertisements in the local press.
Mr Connelly also revealed that plans were currently being drawn up for upgrading work at the playground in Connolly Park.
He said he hoped that the works which had taken place at Convent View would mitigate the flooding issue there. "But that does not mean that the Irish Water job needs to be done."
Re-entering the debate Cllr Masterson wondered if there was an ongoing need for barriers in Church View which had been put in place to stop unauthorised parking. Mr Connelly said the barriers had fulfilled their function.
Cllr Tony McCormack said illegal encampments were a problem around the county and stressed that legislation wasn't strong enough to deal with them.
"It's a national issue with these encampments . . . people are living in fear and it's something that has to be dealt with."