Back row, l-r, Stephen Harding, Project Director McAdams; Ben Palmer, Urban Design LeadArchitect SLR; Cathaldus Hartin, Senior Planner WCC; Dermot Killeen, Executive EngineerWCC; Ken O’Sullivan Project Manager McAdams; Nick Tolley Project Landscape Architect, SLR.Front row, l-r, Anne-Marie Corroon, Head of Regeneration and Capital Projects WCC, Cllr PaulHogan Leas-Chathaoirleach, Lorraine Middleton, Executive Planner WCC.

Athlone enhancement project highly commended at Irish Planning Awards

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The Athlone Town Centre Enhancement Project has been recognised with a ‘Highly Commended’ award in the Urban Regeneration category at the prestigious Irish Planning Institute Awards, which were recently held at Clontarf Castle.

The award recognises the project’s outstanding contribution to transforming Athlone’s town centre into a more vibrant, accessible, and sustainable urban space.

Welcoming the award recognition, Westmeath County Council Senior Planner, Cathaldus Hartin, emphasised the importance of the awards which “celebrate exemplary achievements across the planning profession, honouring projects that demonstrate excellence in sustainable development, community engagement, economic growth, environmental enhancement, heritage conservation, and cultural development”.

Anne-Marie Corroon, Head of Regeneration and Capital Projects, with the local authority, noted that “this transformative initiative, led by Westmeath County Council and supported by the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), was developed in collaboration with a specialist multi-disciplinary team to revitalise Athlone’s town centre”.

Speaking to the success of the project, Cllr Paul Hogan Leas-Cathaoirleach, highlighted how "businesses and community collaboration was key to the project’s delivery. There are already signs of increased vibrancy with the improvements making the area more attractive for shoppers and more inviting for people to mingle and relax regardless of age or ability”.

Ken O’Sullivan of McAdam Design, project managers for the scheme, expressed his pride in “leading a dedicated multi-disciplinary consultant team, including SLR Consulting, Wallace Whittle, Sammon Surveyors (Austin Sammon), CARLIN Planning Limited, Hoy Dorman, Consarc, SYSTRA, AAB, Gahan and Long Ltd (Audrey Gahan), alongside the capital works delivery team at John Craddock Ltd., to deliver this successful outcome”.

This recognition underscores Westmeath County Council’s ongoing commitment to urban regeneration and sustainable development, enhancing the social, economic, and environmental fabric of Athlone’s town centre.

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