This article is from page 23 of the 2012-04-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 23 JPG
PLANS to development a major new visitor attraction at the Vandeleur Walled Garden in Kilrush has now gone to “part-eight planning”, Kilrush Town Council has revealed.
The move comes only five months after ambitious plans for a redevelopment of the visitor facility on the old landlord estate were unveiled by Clare Council architect Ruth Hurley at a meeting of Kilrush Town Council that took place at the Vandeleur Walled Garden.
The news was relayed to members of the local authority on Thursday night, in tandem with a confirmation that Kilrush Amenity Trust which oversees the management of the Vandeleur Walled Garden has voted to allowed free access to visitors for the rest of the year.
Plans to develop enhanced visitor facilities at the Walled Garden, which was opened to the public in 2001, hinge on a successful application to the Clare Local Development Company for Leader funding.
“An application has made to Leader to seek funding,” said Town Clerk, John Corry, “and it is something that we’re excited about as we’re hopeful that our application to Leader for funding will be successful,” he added.
“We have to a little bit of work on the theme of the project,” said Town Manager, Nora Kaye. “We got an informal response from Leader that we have to develop the theme of what we’re trying to do at the Vandeleur Garden. Leader need to see the planning application before they can consider funding,” she added.
“They are very exciting plans and every effort should be made to secure the funding”, said Cllr Liam Williams (FG), who as a member of Kilrush Amenity Trust proposed that free access be given to visitors to the Vandeleur Walled Garden for the rest of 2012.
“We had free entry into the Vandeleur Garden last August and it proved very successful in what ever money we lost from ticket sales, we generated extra money in sales in the coffee shop,” revealed Town Clerk, John Corry.
“It was decided by the board to extend the option during the off-season, when traditionally the numbers of visitors to the facility would have been minimal and then at our meeting in March it was decided to offer free entry to the Garden until the end of the year.
“You are losing out on ticket sales but the wider picture is that you are providing access to the facility and we’re hoping that the people visiting will bring along friends and neighbours and will spend money at the centre. We will take it on a trial basis until the end of the year to see how it progresses,” he added.