A design of the planned Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Energy.

Regenerating Nenagh - funding of €9.5m for Martyr's Road site

A plan to invest over €9.5 million to regenerate the town of Nenagh is expected to be announced by the Minister for Housing, Heritage and Local Government Darragh O' Brien this Friday.

Sources close to the minister told this newspaper that an ambitious plan drawn up by Tipperary County Council to transform a neglected key section of the town has been looked on favourably by Government.

The plan aims to regenerate a 10 hectare brownfield and under-utilised site within the urban core at Martyr's Road. In its submission to government the local authority said the key feature to its plan was to develop a Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Energy on the site.

Such a facility would be “the national destination of learning and education for sustainable energy technologies, hosting over 130 social and sustainable energy professions and researchers in a state-of-the-art ‘demonstrator’ building and will be a pilot centre for innovation in active and smart grid technology.”

SIGNATURE BUILDING

The new centre would be the signature building of the ‘Martyr’s Road Regeneration Quarter’, a site the council said could be redeveloped by applying best practice principles in low-carbon planning, with energy self sufficient buildings, ‘lifecycle’ housing and services, set within new parks and civic spaces.

The council stated that the plan to transform the Martyr’s Road site fits in with the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 Plan and Climate Action Plan.

The plan is built on over 20 years of partnership and collective leadership of the council working with Tipperary Energy Agency, North Tipperary Development Company, the community electricity generating firm, Community Power and Limerick Institute of Technology.

The council said that Nenagh, with its population of close to 9,000, was one of the fastest growing towns in the Shannon Region and designated as a “Key Town” under the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy.

Its vision for the Martyr’s Road site is to create “a multi-functional neighbourhood that would complement the function and character of the town.”

Designed to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, the strategy is to prioritise  pedestrians and cyclists within the location and to include the creation of public spaces that foster interaction between residents, neighbours, workers, students and visitors alike.

The council said that in addition to the proposed Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Energy, there existed an opportunity to develop additional business and innovative spaces for professionals and trades on the site that were “central to energy transition and innovation”.

It is envisaged that the plan for the transformation of the site would be carried out over three phases and take 10 years to fully implement.

Tipperary Fine Gael Senator Garret Ahearn said the application for the Martyr’s Road site, made under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), had been viewed as very significant by the Government.

UNLOCK POTENTIAL

He said the fund can unlock the potential of our urban areas, making the best use of land available, promoting sensible development and compact growth, and ensuring that urban communities are attractive and vibrant places in which to live, work and visit.

Senator Ahearn added: “I have worked with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Peter Burke, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien and Cllr Ger Darcy in promoting this project for Nenagh.

“The support from the URDF for our communities in Tipperary is more vital than ever with the growth in remote and blended working which means more time spent at home locally, reduced time spent commuting as well as a boost for local businesses.

“I know the work that has gone into planning and developing this transformative project by Tipperary County Council. I’m eager to see it supported by Government and then implemented which would benefit us all here in Tipperary.”

Launched by the Fine Gael-led government in November 2018 as part of Project Ireland 2040, Senator Ahearn said the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund is about sensible, strategic and sustainable development that regenerates and rejuvenates our cities and large towns.

By aligning with both the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan, the fund focuses investment on infrastructure, including transport, housing and recreation, in a way that improves quality of life for all.