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New town the centre for the arts

This article is from page 30 of the 2007-07-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 30 JPG

THE development of a multi-pur- pose arts centre should form the focal point of the redevelopment of Shannon Town Centre, according to the local musical society.

A team of architects has been ap- pointed and been requested to create a new ‘urban retail environment’ and a ‘living centre’, on a site across the road from SkyCourt.

Submissions from various groups in the town have been sought and many have been made, to the local authority.

In its submission, Shannon Musical Society said a multipurpose arts/civ- ic centre is needed, where opportuni- ties for cultural, social and commer-

cial events would be developed.

The society’s chairman, Derek Barrett, pointed out that the town is perceived as three things, “an inter- national airport, an industrial zone and a shopping mall”.

“Most people do not realise that there is a town and a community hidden within this triangle. We need to create a space and a centre that is both active and animated, not just during the 9am to 5.30pm shift. Shannon has all the traits of a sub- urb and few of a real town. That 1s our problem in a nutshell,’ said Mr By be KoA

“The town has a community spirit and that spirit has managed to sur- vive as community facilities and amenities have decayed over the

town’s short history,” he said.

He said that a streetscape, as 1s sug- gested in the plans, is necessary, to tie the existing shopping centre to the new town centre.

“It is very clear that we do not need another shopping centre.

“We need a link to the current shopping centre, with possible small scale retail, service and other com- mercial opportunities within that space,” he said.

The society points to a number of key components of the development – a focal point or monument for the town, such as a town clock; a rec- reational area, like a picnic area or skatepark.

“Do not let a commercial developer decide what our town becomes. This

has been our problem the last two times we had spurts of development in Shannon. Tax incentives have not helped the objectiveness of develop- SIS OComnsy- BCG

“In Shannon, community halls and similar centres have been allowed to decay and dilute to such a level that they have become useless. School halls, sports clubs, hotel function rooms and pubs have all been called upon to fill the gaps,” said Mr Bar- rett.

The musical society is suggesting that an arts centre would need to accommodate up to 400 people and would feature an orchestras pit, base- ment, foyer and venue, which would be “multi-functional” and could be TIMUR OM Aer AYA

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