Kildare County Council Publishes series of Master Plans for the Clane Maynooth MD
12 June 2024: Kildare County Council has today published a series of Master Plans for four areas within the Clane Maynooth Municipal District – Allenwood, Kilmeague, Robertstown and Coill Dubh & Cooleragh.
Kildare County Council commissioned a project team led by Vincent Hannon Architects, TOBIN Consulting Engineers and other consultants to carry out an Urban Health Check analysis on each of the areas, as well as the development of the Village Renewal Master Plans.
Members of the Clane Maynooth District were joined by members of the Kildare County Council executive team to launch the plans for the future development of Allenwood, Kilmeague, Robertstown and Coill Dubh & Cooleragh. All the plans were funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development under the 2019 Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
Each of the plans have a long-term focus and set out a number of transformative projects, with an emphasis on place-based change within the town centers, which will facilitate the development of high quality and people-centered public realm that prioritise active modes of travel where possible.
A vision for Allenwood
The vision for Allenwood as set out in the plan is for the public realm and the natural assets of the village, such as the Grand Canal, to act as catalysts to enhance the growth and development of the village. The urban design project areas, illustrate how a compact form of placemaking, and a re-imagined Allenwood core, can assist the creation of an enhanced and renewed sense of identity for Allenwood.
The creation of a safer and better integrated movement and access network, complemented by new and enhanced, existing destination spaces, and the activation of vacant/derelict buildings, are just some of the urban design interventions proposed as part of the vision for Allenwood.
A vision for Kilmeague
The vision for Kilmeague aims to address the need for pedestrian safety in the village. The studies conducted as part of the plan development explored the ways in which the village of Kilmeague can be made into a more attractive space to live and work, through activated placemaking and public realm opportunities.
It also aims to recognise and celebrate the unique streetscape vernacular of the village through enhancing the public realm setting. These initial strategies would eventually contribute towards activating vacant and derelict spaces and future proof the development of compact residential spaces.
A vision for Robertstown
The vision for Robertstown aims to create a pedestrian friendly village that encourages compact residential growth, community and socio-economic development and enhances its tourism potential through improved placemaking and public realm and opportunities.
The urban design opportunities explored in the plan aim to illustrate how an enhanced public realm and placemaking strategy along with an improved village core can contribute towards the creation of a renewed sense of identity for Robertstown.
The creation of a safer and better integrated movement and access network, complemented by new and enhanced, existing destination spaces, and the activation of vacant/derelict buildings, are just some of the urban design interventions proposed as part of the vision for Robertstown.
A vision for Coill Dubh & Cooleragh
The vision aims to cohesively connect both village areas, creating destination spaces and safer pedestrian-oriented infrastructure within and between each area. It also intends to celebrate the
unique and distinctive architectural heritage of the Frank Gibney estate, by way of providing a safe space within for all to share.
The creation of a safer and better integrated movement and access network to the existing destinations has also been a priority within the plan.
Speaking about the plans, Sonya Kavanagh, Chief Executive, Kildare County Council said; “The publication of plans for these areas follows the launch of other plans for towns and villages across the county, which demonstrates our real commitment to the future sustainable development of the county, for the people who live here, and visitors alike.
Each and every plan involves detailed consultation and ongoing collaboration between the local communities in these areas and Kildare County Council. Developing these plans in tandem with one another helps to create a cohesive approach to the sustainable development of these areas and maximise their attractiveness as places to live and work.”
Aisling Leahy, Director & Senior Urban Designer, VHA added; “The VHA Urban Design team and its multi-disciplinary team (Ciara Morely Consulting, TOBIN and TORAQS) have had the pleasure of working with Kildare County Council in preparing the four Town Renewal Plans for the communities Allenwood, Robertstown, Coill Dubh and Cooleragh. Driven by a vision for enhanced identities, a series of destination spaces are presented, along with design proposals to activate underutilised infill sites. These four Plans also strongly align with climate change objectives, providing for future proofed movement and access solutions for people of all ages and abilities.
The Master Plans are available to view in full on our website, visit https://kildarecoco.ie/AllServices/Housing/PublicRealm/TownRenewalMasterPlans/
