Preferred location chosen for Athlone outdoor pool

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Westmeath County Council has indicated its preferred option for the location of a new outdoor swimming pool on the River Shannon in Athlone.

A second public consultation on the proposed outdoor pool and Athlone boardwalk was held on Monday of this week in Athlone Civic Centre.

The event heard that the council's preferred option for the two interconnected developments would see the boardwalk running from the existing boardwalk at the bottom of Methodist Church Street (behind the AIB Bank) to The Strand at The Friary, which is where the outdoor pool would be placed.

The location of the proposed pool has previously been the subject of debate at council level, with a number of local representatives expressing their opposition to initial drawings that appeared to show the pool's location as being outside the Flynn Funeral Home business.

However the event this week has indicated that, while the pool would still be located along The Strand, its site would instead be outside the entrance to the Friary gardens.

Westmeath County Council's aim for the project is to provide a boardwalk linking the Athlone-Dublin Greenway to Burgess Park and beyond, and, in tandem with that, to also provide an urban outdoor pool facility on the Shannon.

The council engaged a multi-disciplinary design team, led by Cooney Architects Ltd, to progress with a feasibility study and preliminary designs for the development. At the public consultation, members of Cooney Architects Ltd were available to answer queries from the public.

The consultation event heard that a ramp would be placed at the beginning of the boardwalk for accessibility. The boardwalk structure would be built using a floating pontoon model, set on vertical poles, which would allow it to rise and fall with the river's water levels.

The boardwalk would be approximately 450 metres in length, and with a width of 5 metres to accommodate both pedestrians and cyclists.

The council indicated that key stakeholders including Waterways Ireland, the ESB, Fáilte Ireland, Uisce Éireann, Inland Fisheries, An Garda Síochána, Westmeath Sports Partnership, the OPW, Westmeath PPN, Westmeath Community Development and Comhairle na nÓg have all been involved in the process to date.

The first public consultation, which ran from Monday, January 19 to Monday, February 9, prompted significant engagement from members of the public, with more than 220 respondents offering their feedback on the six original options for the location of the pool and boardwalk.

Over 86% of respondents described themselves as locals. The locations were evaluated across eight categories, including accessibility, social impacts, land use, safety impact, local environmental impact, engineering, policy integration, climate change.

The location identified by the council on its mapping as P6 was chosen as the preferred option. While P8 (Burgess Park) was the most popular option among respondents, it was decided that the water was "too shallow beyond the weir" to accommodate the pool.

The preferred location, beside The Friary, is said to offer "calm water conditions, reduced boat interaction, and excellent natural surveillance", while its proximity to key locations in the town support "strong integration, connectivity, and opportunity to enhance the public realm".

It will provide a "safe, well-controlled swimming environment", with strong supports for walking, cycling, and public transport access key to its selection, the council indicated.

Studies carried out to assess the options found that the preferred option performed strongly across all accessibility criteria, including "high potential for inclusive, step-free access," and "strong potential for year-round operation".

The next steps involve the consideration of further public feedback, and the progression to seeking planning approval, which is expected to commence in the third quarter of this year.

While overall costings are not yet available, funding to the tune of €561,803 was provided by Fáilte Ireland towards the detailed design and planning of the public recreational facility.