This article is from page 10 of the 2013-07-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
ENNIS Town Council is to press ahead with plans for a significant face-lift of the Ennis market area.
A covered market will be placed in Garraunakilla the cur rent home of the Ennis Farmers’ Market. The second phase of the plan will see a covered market style development in Barrack Street.
The council is to proceed with a Par t VIII planning repor t for the re-development of both areas after a majority of councillors at yester- day’s meeting of Ennis Town Council spoke in favour of the proposals.
It comes after a report by architect Richard Rice identified a car park off Lysaght’s Lane in lower market street as the prefer red star ting point for the re-juvenation of the market.
However councillors yesterday expressed opposition to the Lysaght’s Lane proposal and urged the council to begin work in Garraunakilla.
The proposal was backed by councilors Tommy Brennan (Ind) and Mary Howard (FG) who said the council should look after traders in the farmers’ market.
Cllr Peter Considine (FF) also suppor ted siting the new covered market in Gar raunakilla. He said, “I suspect the majority of people, from the town and country, would like to see it in the traditional market area of the town.”
Cllr Brian Meaney (FF) told the meeting that the farmers’ market strongly opposed any move to Moran’s car park. He said no trader wanted to be “isolated in a dreary cor ner of a car park”.
Councillors agreed that Moran’s car park would be considered as part of a longer term re-development of the market.
There will also be an impact on the mall area of the market with town clerk Leonard Clear y saying an area will be closed off for pedestrianisation when the area is eventually re-developed.
He explained, “It’s going to look and feel ver y different and it’s obviously going to have an impact on traffic as well.”
The council has set a June 2014 deadline for work to start in Garraunakilla and Barrack Street.
The meeting heard that the re-de- velopment would involve the drawing up of new traffic management plans for the market.
Richard Rice of Healy Par tners Architects was commissioned by the council to explore the possibility of developing covered markets in Ennis.
The repor t strongly recommends the nor thern elevation of Gar raunakilla develop appropriate retail activity.
It also recommends the inclusion of a covered area and a kiosk if Gar raunakilla is retained as a farmers’ market.