Recently appointed consultants for the design and delivery of the new county library in Ennis visited Áras Contae an Chláir to meet with representatives of the Municipal District of Ennis and key stakeholders in the flagship project.
Clare County Council hosted the meeting which represents the commencement of the stakeholder consultation stage of the project. The process of consultation will continue up to the final design later in 2016.
The proposed €8.6m project will see the new library building developed at the site of the existing Glór facility on The Causeway Link providing a new county library for Clare to replace the existing De Valera Library on Harmony Row.
Earlier this year, Clare County Council was allocated a €3 million capital grant towards the cost of the proposed project under the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government’s Capital Funding Programme for Public Libraries.
An additional €1 million in EU funding was also allocated from the Southern Regional Assembly’s Operational Programme 2014-2020. Clare County Council will fund the balance of €4.6 million of the overall cost of the project.
Helen Walsh, County Librarian commented: “It is great to begin the design process where all those with an interest in the new county library project can voice their opinions. This week’s consultation is one of many which will be held over the next few weeks as we advance towards the sketch design stage of the project.”
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.