Canal plan up for discussion at Athlone Town Council tonight

The future of Athlone’s Canal area is up for discussion tonight. Members of Athlone Town Council will speak on the draft Athlone Canal Planning Study at their monthly meeting starting at 6pm.

Ahead of the meeting, Cllr Aengus O’Rourke, who is also Chairman of the Canal Restoration Group, hailed the publication of the plan as “a huge step forward for this forgotten gem and the start of a process that will finally do justice to this invaluable urban asset.”“We now have a clear and comprehensive assessment of the canal and its potential by an independent respected agency who have identified the canal as a huge opportunity just waiting to happen. Apart from the public amenity opportunity, the canal is steeped in history, so there is a huge opportunity to uncover and showcase the forgotten and overgrown history associated with the canal,” he stated, adding that this aspect would attract many visitors in years and generations to come, and would also provide a fantastic educational value locally.

“This project will take a number of years to complete given its scale and cost, however, when money is secured to develop the canal we will have a very attractive outdoor linear park for people to enjoy for generations to come. This will also give a welcome shot in the arm to this part of the west side of Athlone and may even open up commercial opportunities and give a welcome economic lift to the businesses in the area,” he continued, saying that they will now pursue funding options with the Government, Failte Ireland, The National Trails Office, Waterways Ireland, in Europe, the local authority and any other body or arm of the state that has an interest in this area.