Market Square redevelopment Notice posted
Kildare County Council has posted Notice of its intention to carry out the redevelopment of Kilcullen's Market Square, writes Brian Byrne.
The works, a Part 8 Development by the local authority, will include footpath widening and resurfacing, resurfacing the riverside walkway and providing LED lighting, upgrading street furniture and lighting to include a multi-functional lighting column in the square, resurfacing the square and providing new stepped access from Main Street.
The plan also proposes upgrading the stepped access to the riverside walkway from Market Square, planting trees, removing parking spaces from the square and formalising on-street parking along Main Street, junction improvements at Bentley's Lane to include a raised pedestrian crossing, and providing three pedestrian crossings at Main Street.
Plans will be available to view or purchase from 9 February-9 March 2022, from Aras Chill Dara, Naas, and online here or consult.kildarecoco.ie/en/browse.
Submissions can be made up until 4.30pm on 23 March 2022.
The project was first proposed in July 2017 following a public meeting organised by Kilcullen Community Action.
A Concept Plan produced by the Paul Hogarth Company on commission from Kildare County Council was shown to the project committee in April 2018. Following an application supported by Kildare County Council, the redevelopment project was awarded an initial €200,000 from the Town and Village Renewal Scheme 2018 towards the then estimated cost of €500,000.
In January 2021, the cost estimate had grown to €1.3m, of which €1.1m was expected to be provided out of the Council's LPT funds. According to the Council's Strategic Projects & Public Realm Team, the timeline then for completion of the project is Quarter 2 2022, 'subject to funding'.
A full public consultation period under the Part 8 process was originally expected before Christmas 2019, but was again deferred, pending completion of the documents. The pandemic situation in 2020/21 resulted in further deferrals.
Antoinette Buckley, who was involved with KCA on the project from the beginning, welcomed today's development. "At last, five years on, good news," she told the Diary.
