KCA at workshop for market square ideas
The 'Streetlife' event was organised by a focus group called Baile, set up to help retain the traditional built heritage of Irish rural towns. It is connected to UNESCO, and Gort was chosen for a pilot study on the re-use and underuse of traditional buildings.
Antoinette Buckley and architect Laura Bowen attended the workshop to see how the local community had been engaged in the study.
Their interest was in how Kilcullen people can be involved in the re-imagining of the market square, in particular with the KCA public workshop planned for the square on 30 September.
The Gort study had been carried out in conjunction with students from the University of Pennsylvania, with support from Galway County Council and the Heritage Council.
"The students’ data was displayed and they had produced vacancy and use maps, circulation and parking surveys," says Laura Bowen, "and used 'Lynch maps' or perception maps and generally interrogated the town with fresh eyes."
As part of the workshop, the group walked around Gort and afterwards filled in their own perception maps with observations of significant features of the town, which was a planned market town and is of very high architectural quality.
"Gort serves a bigger hinterland but has had a more recent exaggerated population decline because transient Brazilian workers left following the closure of the meat factories. In discussions it became very self-evident that the extent of Kilcullen’s community and Tidy Towns and business networks was a very strong economic and environmental advantage."
Following the recent public meeting on the market square redevelopment, there have been further meetings with the councillors on the committee and Kildare County Council officials. The Council has also given the Committee a grant towards initial expenses.
Murphy Surveys has developed a topographical map of the square and its environs, and a 3D model will be produced for design discussions.
The 30 September event will use the vacant restaurant unit to display proposals and discuss ideas with local people.
There will be music and entertainment in the square itself, which will be closed to traffic for the event.
More details closer to the day.
