Wexford council say it is ‘hugely committed’ to Templeshannon as plans to transform Enniscorthy are clarified
Wexford PeopleA senior official in Wexford County Council (WCC) has moved to allay fears that Templeshannon will be overlooked when works begin to regenerate Enniscorthy’s town centre. At the March meeting of the Enniscorthy Municipal District (EMD) it was revealed that, as part of its ambitious plans to transform the town, WCC was going to apply for funding for works on the new Civic Spine and Castle Quarter Heritage.
However, those plans involve three projects, the third of which will see the “redevelopment, refurbishment and a radical improvement” of Templeshannon. Having confirmed that he intended to apply for funding for the Templeshannon project at a later date, Sean Meyler of WCC’s special projects team faced the ire of local councillors who feared the oft-overlooked part of town was going to be ignored again.
At a special meeting held to discuss WCC’s approach to the Enniscorthy Town Centre First Plan, director of special projects Alan Quirke clarified the council’s intentions.
Explaining that up to €20m in government money was available to WCC over two separate rounds of funding, Mr Quirke said the first round of funding was open now with the second expected to open by the end of 2026.
“The best approach to maximise the funding for Enniscorthy as a whole is to apply for €9m now for our ‘shovel-ready’ projects, which are the Civic Spine and phase one of the Castle Quarter project,” he said. “We will then apply for funding for Templeshannon in the second round at the end of the year. Then overall we’ll have a combined €20m for the town centre.”
Expected to be completed by 2029, the Town Centre First Plan will see a new ‘civic spine’ developed in the heart of Enniscorthy with both the Market Square and Castle Hill pedestrianised and footpaths expanded to provide “useable urban space”.
In addition, the first phase of works will see the demolition of buildings on Castle Street in preparation for the creation of a new Castle Heritage Quarter.
But Mr Quirke was at pains to stress that this did not mean Templeshannon was being forgotten about.
“We’re very clear, there’s a huge commitment to Templeshannon from WCC, we absolutely want to make sure investment is secured for the works there, we know it needs it,” he said. “There are tangible plans for the area, we want to make sure they’re completed in the next couple of years.
“We’re targeting €20m for the town centre over three packages in two phases, with delivery expected between 2027-29. They’re all interlinked, they’re of equal importance, and we need to deliver them all.”