Updated report on major plan to rejuvenate Mayo county town's historic core
The tender for a multi-disciplinary team to provide a full scope of services, from design, planning, tender, construction through to completion of the historic core of Castlebar, has been returned to Mayo County Council.
The tender has been divided into a number of lots for different elements of works at the Mall as well as in respect of the masterplan, design development, planning and access, infrastructure and services works at lands between Ellison Street and the Mall.
The objectives of the Mall rejuvenation project have been pinpointed as follows:
* Restore and enhance public urban space.
* Enhance local amenity and its heritage value.
* Increase the footfall and public confidence, resulting from the enhancement of the public realm and forging of new urban links with Ellison Street and Military Barracks.
* Increase in number of businesses bounding the park by reactivating vacant properties.
* Increase the capability to support an increase in the number of festivals and events, catering for a varying range, scope and size.
* Contribute to the evening, night-time and weekend economy & social dynamic.
* Support and enhance biodiversity and wildlife value in the centre of town.
The objectives of the planned works at the Ellison Street backlands are:
* Create a new High Quality Public Urban Space in the centre of the town
* Enhance permeability through the creation of new links to the surrounding town in particular The Mall, Castle Street and Ellison Street
* The design and provision of new high quality civic architectural interventions in the centre of the town.
* Increase the footfall and public confidence in the town centre resulting from high quality public realm spaces and forging of new urban links with Ellison Street and The Mall in particular.
* Increase in number of businesses in the streets bounding the lands by reactivating vacant properties.
* Support and enhance biodiversity and wildlife value in the centre of town.
A government grant in excess of €11 million was allocated for the projects some years ago.