Athlone regeneration project highly commended at Irish Planning Awards

The latest streetscape redevelopment in Athlone, which saw the pedestrianisation of part of Sean Costello Street along with other upgrade works on neighbouring streets, has been highly commended at the 2025 Irish Planning Awards,

The awards, which are presented by the Irish Planning Institute, an all-island professional membership body for spatial planners, were presented at a gala black tie ceremony in Dublin last week.

Westmeath County Council was nominated, in the State led 'urban regeneration' category, for the 'Athlone Town Centre Enhancement Project' which was officially opened last November.

The overall winner in the 'urban regeneration category was Tipperary County Council and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for the Kickham Barracks Regeneration project in Clonmel.

A record 80 entries were received by this year's adjudication panel. Winners were awarded in each of the 13 award categories, with the Athlone Town Centre Enhancement Project being one of five entries to be highly commended by the judges.

Uisce Éireann took home the overall President’s Award for its Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant – a €139m project that was the winner of the Infrastructure category.

The biennial Irish Planning Awards recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements in the planning profession, including projects and plans at a local, county, regional and national level.

The awards aim to promote excellence in the field of planning, encourage sustainable development, foster positive engagement between communities and projects, support economic development through thoughtful planning and honour projects and practices that enhance the environment, conserve historical buildings or create cultural venues.

At the official opening of the Athlone enhancement project last year Barry Kehoe, the chief executive of Westmeath County Council, predicted that Athlone would become "the leading inland urban centre" of Ireland within the next couple of years.

Describing the ambitious project to pedestrianise Sean Costello Street and redirect traffic through the centre of the town via Mardyke Street, Mr Kehoe said the overall objective of the streetscape enhancement project was to develop Athlone" into a town which is a “vibrant, inclusive and positive” place to live, work, study and visit.