‘Transformational’ amenity for Ballina

The official opening of the Ballina Access Promenade & Viewing Area took place on Tuesday, September 2.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen personal reasons, Minister Dara Calleary, Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, was unable to attend on the day. The facility was opened by Cllr John Carroll, Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council.

The facility provides enhanced accessibility and connectivity in Ballina, facilitating pedestrians moving between the Riverside Park and the cruise facilities and hospitality businesses on the other side of the river. The design is sympathetic to the heritage status of the town and its historical features including the Washerwoman’s Bridge, the 13-arch bridge and the railway links, which are depicted through corten steel sculptures denoting the train and the various platforms from the Limerick and Castleconnell Railway to Killaloe.

This project was an objective of the Killaloe-Ballina Enhancement & Mobility Plan and complements other projects in the area such as the recently completed Brian Ború Bridge. The project marks a further investment of over €400,000 in Ballina and provides enhanced facilities for tourists and locals alike with the added health and environmental benefits of promoting the use of active travel – walking and cycling.

DIVIDENDS FOR YEARS TO COME

Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council, Cllr John Carroll, paid tribute to all involved in the delivery of the project including consultants, Jennings O’Donovan & Partners Ltd; contractors Neville Civil Works and sub-contractor Martin Ryan Construction, and project manager, Paul Crowe, Tipperary County Council. He said “the outcome is a credit to all the people who worked on the project and we will reap the dividends of the investment in these facilities for many years to come. This is only one of a number of projects that we have provided or are in the course of planning or delivery across the Nenagh Municipal District and, indeed, across all of Tipperary”.

Cllr Phyll Bugler, Cathaoirleach of Nenagh Municipal District, welcomed the investment and referred to the history of the Washerwoman’s Bridge and the heritage of the area. She also noted the benefits of the increased accessibility and said: “For some time, we have recognised that there was a challenge in terms of accessibility for those who wanted to progress from the Riverside Park to the other side of town, to access Ballina Quay and the hospitality sector.

There was a need to ensure that wheelchair users and families with buggies were provided with an appropriate way of accessing both sides, so this wonderful project here delivered on this to improve connectivity in the town.”

Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council, Sinéad Carr, said that the project would be “transformational”. She said: “In Ballina today we see an example of how funding through the Town & Village Renewal Fund has allowed us to develop this particular facility for the people of Ballina and, in itself, it will be transformational in terms of how people use the town and how they use the recreational facilities around it”.

She also paid tribute to the elected members and their support in delivering projects through the planning process and in making the tough decisions that enable the matched funding to be provided.

This project was funded under the Town & Village Renewal Scheme, which is administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht with matched funding provided by Tipperary County Council.