Massive plan to turn Athlone into city of 100,000 revealed

A major Irish developer has outlined plans to turn Athlone into a city of 100,000 people by 2040.

Sean Mulryan, chairman of Ballymore Group, has been working on the plan for a number of years, and has already pitched the idea to a series of top level politicians, including the Tánaiste Simon Harris and Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers.

The concept is of a planned sustainable '15-minute green city' with a major expansion of TUS, helping to drive Athlone into a leading centre for environmental innovation, and green technology.

It includes ideas such as the development of a 5,000-bed eco-friendly student village, and 20,000 new zero-carbon homes.

Details were revealed in an exclusive interview with Mulryan in today's Business Post

Rumours of the proposed project had been swirling in local political and business circles in recent months.

The concept outlined in the Business Post is of a planned city, with energy coming from renewable sources, massively improved green transport links, and protected green areas.

In today's Business Post Mulryan is quoted as saying: "This is for Ireland and for the grand-children and great grand-children of Ireland," he said. "The modern world is lying ahead of us, that we have to plan for. I'd see this new city as part of that."

Mulryan stressed that the plan, which is at an early stage, would need to be State-driven - with the developer seeking a special taskforce to be established to progress the plan.