WORKS will commence next year on walkway trails throughout Ennis.
Funding was obtained under Active Travel measures to progress level one works outlined in the ‘connecting’ objectives of the Connecting and Co-Creating Ennis document.
Undertaken in the summer of 2020 by the Intelligence Unit (IU) of the School of Architecture at UL, the Connecting and Co-Creating Ennis project aims to rejoin parts of the county town physically and socially while also getting citizens actively involved in Ennis’ development.
Senior executive officer of the Ennis Municipal District, Leonore O’Neill outlined, “These works will be undertaken in 2022. The co-creating element is being advanced through a number of agencies, in co-operation with Ennis MD”.
She confirmed that €950,000 was secured for the walkway trails which is an incorporation of the co-connecting project. The works will be advanced next year and involve “a mixture of footpath works, seating, pedestrian crossing and a large body of smaller scale works”.
Six student architects and two researches spent five walks walking the streets of Ennis while setting up a studio at the County Museum to complete their work for the project, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) recalled. “Old medieval towns like Ennis have become car dominated, the survey on Ennis pedestrianisation will be very interesting”.
One particular finding from their research which impressed Cllr Flynn was the acknowledgement of the old Ennis town boundary in the design of a slight heart shape which has been referenced in branding of the capital. Development of healthy heart routes varying from 2km to 5km were welcomed by Flynn, “it is great to see we will be getting a lot more people walking in our public spaces”.
Progress of the project was welcomed by Cllr Pat Daly (FF).
