Connaught Street group's plans for community hub and tackling dereliction

Regenerating what was once Athlone's busiest shopping street is no mean feat, but it is a task that the members of the Connaught Street Traders and Environs community group have set out to achieve.

They want to bring what was once a vibrant street, with a mix of retail and residential, back to life - tackling dereliction, bringing the streetscape up-to-date and creating a community hub for all those that the Connaught Street area serves.

With two architects who have a keen interest in urban regeneration sitting on the committee - Tim Dowling (vice-chairperson) and Louise Heavin - they set about the task of rejuvenating the street just over two years ago. The group was established in May 2023 shortly after the westside regeneration plan was published, saying they wanted to be a representative voice for locals in the area.

Tim explained that one of the ways they thought to rejuvenate the street was to temporarily refurbish some of the council-owned buildings on the street. They researched famous Athlonians who had a connection to Connaught Street and created information boards which are located throughout the street.

This was to "spread the awareness that this is the context of the area," Tim explained. "We used a lot of the derelict buildings to display that. We have since started to populate some of the vacant walls with pieces of artwork. That's to bring life back into the street, in one sense, and it also gives an opportunity to artists to express themselves."

This project was the first one undertaken by the group for Heritage Week 2023, and the protection and promotion of the area's heritage is certainly at the group's core.

"We're one of the oldest parts of Athlone, an Architectural Preservation Area, and we're in a zone of archaeological significance, so there's heritage all around us really. And we wanted to showcase it. The heritage is very fragile and we have to promote that and protect it as best we can," explained Tim.

He explained that another project the group undertook saw it receive €25,000 worth of funding to produce a comprehensive study of the buildings on Connaught Street and O'Connell Street.

"That's been fantastic," he said. "It's been a really in-depth study and it talks about all of the protected structures that we have, as well as the ones that are not protected but still have very interesting features as part of them. It's about taking care of what we have, taking stock of it."

Committee member Mary Dooley, who is also a member of Athlone Tidy Towns, added that the group holds regular litter picks and the amount of litter and weeds in the area have reduced.

Treasurer Joe O'Meara added that the group has taken charge of litter collection and grass cutting in Connaught Gardens.

It also holds monthly markets in the area, with something for all the family.

A medium-term priority for the group is to establish a community hub on the street, and former local councillor Louise Heavin explained that the group has approached Westmeath County Council in a bid to take over, or rent, one of the vacant council-owned buildings on the street with this in mind.

"We have found there is a need for a community space - there are a number of different groups that meet in people's kitchens, or meet in restaurants, because they don't have a space for meeting, for gathering, and we'd very much like to set up a community hub for the area in one of these buildings," she said.

As well as a being a meeting space, the group hopes any community hub could house a architectural model of the street they would love to display, as well as old photographs and artefacts of interest to the public.

They would also like to facilitate local creatives and give them a space.

Louise said the group is willing and ready to work with the council in relation to finding a use for some of the vacant buildings, and, while things have been moving slower than they would like, they had held a recent meeting with the council and were hopeful that something would come from that.

Tim Dowling added that while the group welcomes the council's plan for the regeneration of the westside, they had been hoping Connaught Street would be prioritised over the other areas covered in the plan, as they said investment in the street is long overdue.

Mary Dooley added that the street lights are 60-plus years old and the footpaths are not accessible for someone with mobility issues, as there are no ramps.

Louise said that, while the group would love to click their fingers and transform the street overnight, they are realistic and know that regenerating the street will involve change by degrees. She said they are working with the council on the issue of footpaths to see if there are little bits of accessibility that can be installed ahead of street-wide regeneration.

Orlagh Dooley added that she would like to see the vibe from the Sean's Bar area continued up into Connaught Street, and for people to be incentivised to set up businesses on the street.

"If you had a reduction in rates, it would give a chance for a local business.They're not going to open up in a derelict building, where there's loads of work to be done.

"I think if they reduced the rates until the street is at a certain standard," she suggested, adding that there was even the possibility of buildings to be used for pop-up shops.

The group added that those businesses which are operating on the street are thriving, and praised the community spirit in the area.

Pauline Grenham said: "There's a huge community spirit, an indomitable spirit and passion in the Connaught Street area, and so many people come back for our heritage events and theatre. The businesses here are busy and they're doing well."

Speaking about what the group hopes to achieve, Tim explained:

"We're constantly looking for funding for various different projects, applying for funding for schemes we're trying to run and part of that is to try and acquire some of the space that's there for community benefit and we're actively trying to do that.

"We're actively trying to change the look and feel of the street to encourage it as a place that people want to live and show that it's still a completely liveable area."

Asked what they hope can be achieved in the next five years, the group agreed they would like the street to look more attractive and for it to boast infrastructure to support the surrounding communities.

"Broadly-speaking that we would have secured public funding in a big way for the street that could be spent on the street and that we tip the scales slightly in terms of spending in Athlone," said Tim Dowling.

"We're looking after something fragile, but it's in good hands."

Louise Heavin added: "Dereliction is contagious. Once it starts to happen, it spreads like a virus, but equally regeneration does that also, so if we can start in the next few years with one or two buildings regenerated, a bit of the street started, so we can see that it's going to get better, that it's on the way up and not on the way down any more."

Connaught Street Traders and Environs community group

The committee of the Connaught Street Traders and Environs community group is made up of: Arlene McNeill (chairperson); Tim Dowling (vice-chairperson); Joe O'Meara (treasurer); Orlagh Dooley (secretary); Erica O'Meara (PRO/social media); Mary Dooley; Pauline Grenham; Patrick Walsh; Louise Heavin; Teresa Bell; and Tomás Hannon.