Louth County Council lodges plans for Ardee 2040 Regeneration Project

Louth County Council has lodged its plans with An Bord Coimisiún (formerly An Bord Pleanála) for its proposed Ardee 2040 Regeneration Project, to develop a number of projects aimed at supporting regeneration, compact growth and sustainable development in Ardee Town.

In its Planning Statement, Louth County Council said that the plans include new and better quality streets, as well as upgraded public spaces, realm, plazas; road, junction, cycleway, walkway upgrades; and sports and recreational facilities. 

The project has been commissioned by the local authority, led by the Regeneration and Development Team, and is funded by the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), a flagship initiative of Project Ireland 2040 and match funded by the local authority.

Louth County Council says that the project placemaking principles will be delivered through the redevelopment of key character areas in Ardee. The Planning Statement names the character areas as: Character Area 1 – Main Street (including Ash Walk); Character Area 2 – Old Railway Lands; Character Area 3 – Amenity Lands; and Character Area 4 – Woodland Walk.

In June and July 2021, Louth County Council undertook preliminary non-statutory engagement and consultation for the preparation of a masterplan for the regeneration of Ardee, with the study covering the four character areas.

The proposed development in the Main Street / Ash Walk area comprises:

• Public realm improvement works at Ardee Main Street (N2) and surrounding streets (in the townland of Townparks) comprising: new hard landscaping including resurfacing; soft landscaping including new tree planting; street furniture; new pedestrian connections and footpaths; Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS); new cycle parking; tactile paving; and undergrounding of services.
• Road improvement works at Ardee Main Street (N2) and surrounding streets (in the townland of Townparks) to include: alteration of road alignment; realignment of Golf Links Road / N2 junction; raised junctions; resurfacing; shared surface treatments; revised access arrangements; pedestrian crossing points; reduction and rationalisation of the layout / orientation of existing on-street public car parking provision; installation of electric vehicle charging points; new bus stop shelters; road signs; and new public lighting.
• Resurfacing of Bridge Street Bridge (NIAH Reg. No. 13823008 / Protected Structure Ref: LHS017/056) at Bridge Street.
• Construction of a new segregated cycle lanes at Main Street (N2) (in the townland of Townparks), Ardee provided as dedicated one-way and two-way bidirectional cycle lanes and associated cycle parking stands.
• Alterations to the existing car parking layout at Ardee Library off Ardee Main Street (N2) (in the townland of Townparks) to create in part a public plaza including retention of Sir Frederick Foster Memorial Fountain scheduled monument (NIAH Reg No. 13823042 / Protected Structure Ref: LHS017/070) and realignment of existing access road to Foster Close.
• Extension of Ash Walk Road (extending approx. 60m to the west and upgrades to existing junction to the Supervalu car park / services access off Ash Walk Road.

The Planning Statement says that the proposals for the development of the Old Railway Lands provides for "a lively and active public open space with accessible routes which will help to enhance and improve the existing connectivity between different areas of Ardee and create a space where friends can gather". The proposed works in this Character Area comprise:

• Redevelopment of the site to develop a community park including hard and soft landscaped area, allotments, equipped children’s play park, storage container and boundary fences.
• Retention of the remnant railway infrastructure to create a raised platform / seating area.
• Construction of new public realm comprising new surfaces, kerbing, street furniture, feature lighting and signage.
• Construction of a new vehicle access from O’Carroll Street and associated car parking.
• Retention and refurbishment of the existing pillars at the O’Carroll Street access. Access at this location will be controlled by bollards and retained for pedestrian / maintenance vehicle access.

The proposed works in Character Area 3 – Amenity Lands comprise: 

• Redevelopment of the site to develop a community park and sports hub to include 200m grass running track and associated flood lighting, bowling green and boundary fence, hard and soft landscaped areas and drainage swale.
• Construction of new public realm comprising new surfaces/footpaths, kerbing, street furniture, feature lighting, signage and new site boundary fencing. 
• Construction of a single storey sports pavilion building.
• Construction of a new access road, public car parking parallel / perpendicular to the carriageway and a designated off road car park, two way cycle lane and pedestrian accesses to existing road network and existing old railway walk retaining pedestrian linkage to Old Railway Lands

For Character Area 4 – Woodland Walk, the overall objective is to develop a walking facility through Ardee Town with a north to south orientation through the HSE lands, linking Fairgreen to the Ash Walk Area. A link will also extend from the proposed path in an eastwards direction to link to the rear of Ardee Day Care Centre. 

The proposed development will resurface the existing woodland walk traversing the woodlands to the east of St. Joseph’s Hospital and will include an extension of this route to link to the new road extension proposed to Ash Walk. The proposal will represent a minimal intervention using a cellular confinement system specifically designed for tree root protection.

The Planning Statement says that the system creates a stable, load bearing surface for traffic or footfall whilst eliminating damage to roots through compaction and desiccation of the soil. This approach will ensure that the existing trees are not impacted by the proposed development.

Louth County Council in the Planning Statement that the reports submitted in support of the application demonstrate that the proposal complies with the relevant policies of the local development plan and the National Planning Framework in relation to the principle of development and the regeneration of the town centre, design quality, heritage preservation and enhancement, transport, sustainability and environmental impacts.

It added that the proposed development will provide a high-quality development that will revitalise the site and the surrounding area, and generate positive effects on the levels of expenditure, footfall and vitality of the whole town in line with the objectives of the Louth County Development Plan 2021-2027 (LCDP).

Further information on the Ardee 2040 Regeneration Project can be found at https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/323972