Revamped town centre a key aspect of new draft plan for Moate

Westmeath County Council's new draft plan for Moate envisages a dramatic reworking of some parts of the town to include new streets and a new civic plaza. The members of the council met in private last Thursday to discuss the draft plan for Moate South. The document, seen by the Westmeath Independent, emphasises the importance of Moate's Main Street along with the areas in its immediate vicinity. "It is crucial that the town centre be consolidated in order to reinforce its role as the central hub of the town," states the draft plan. The plan seeks "to develop the centre of Moate into a place with its own identity and character." It states that a number of new "pedestrian and road linkages" should be created to provide better access in and around the town. One of these should be a new street to the south of Main Street, the draft plan states. It envisages that "this New Street will become one of the main interfaces and town core expansion areas.... The street will have active town centre uses at ground floor level with the upper floors providing ideal accommodation for town centre living." Other "new linkages" identified in the draft plan include a one-way street through Motte Road southwards from Main Street and a two-way street through the Tuar Ard complex southwards from Main Street. The proposed street through the Tuar Ard complex "will involve the extension of the existing cul-de-sac" which provides access to the car park and community centre. The draft plan foresees that this new street "will continue to be characterised by civic uses with new development providing additional community facilities such as a library, creches and medical facilities as well as residential units and a small area of public open space. In addition, an appropriate use in this area would be a significant retail centre." Moate would benefit from the creation of a new civic plaza, which should be provided in the area forward of the former courthouse, the plan states. It calls for trees to be planted along Main Street, while the overall landscaping strategy for the street is to "create order and uniformity by the coherent use of quality materials and street furniture" At the eastern approach to the town "it is proposed to create a new square at the Mill to define the entrance to the town centre and open up views towards Moate Castle." In addition, a Town Park is to be provided to the south east of the town and this "will serve as a major public amenity for residents." The plan recommends that on-street car parking - both short-term and long-term - should be regulated along Main Street and Church Street in order to secure better environmental quality in the area. It states that the Moate bypass, which opened in 2008, "has the potential to cause both positive and negative effects." "While it will ease congestion, it could also potentially cause the further degradation of Main Street and Church Street due to reduced levels in footfall associated with passing traffic. By removing congestion the bypass however provides an opportunity to re-sculpt the Main Street/Church Street area to provide a quality public realm and an attractive place in which to live, work, shop, visit and for recreation," it commented. The plan, which has not yet gone on public display, seeks "to build on the existing assets of the town such as its strategic location, landscape, heritage, recreational and commercial facilities in order to complement and enhance Moate's identity as an attractive and vibrant town to live, work, visit and enjoy."