Tag Archives: Ennis 2040

ENNIS 2040 Designated Activity Company has announced the appointment of a collaborative design team to develop a Master Plan for a “much-needed high-quality mixed-use sustainable development” for Francis Street in Ennis’ Town Centre. This will be managed under an agreed Service Level Agreement with Clare County Council. Vincent Hannon Architects (VHA) in collaboration with Cundall Consulting Engineers and Ian Douglas Environmental Consultants have been successful in the tender process to prepare the Master Plan for the site. According to Ennis 2040 DAC the development has the potential to include up to 45 housing units, aiming to “redefine urban community while embracing sustainability and modern design principles in line with the ambitions set out in the approved Ennis 2040 Economic & Spatial Strategy”. Master planning will commence immediately with the aim of launching a comprehensive public consultation process in four to five months’ time to give the public an opportunity to view and comment on the proposed designs.  Subject to a successful planning …

THE transformation of Ennis’ Abbey Street Carpark into a retail and office space is set to be the first project to be delivered under the Ennis 2040 plan it has been revealed. The proposed re-development, if given the green light, is expected to create hundreds of jobs and draw thousands of shoppers into Ennis’ town centre. A planning application for Abbey Street is to be lodged by the middle of this year, the Ennis Designated Activity Company (DAC) have confirmed. The Ennis 2040 DAC say the proposed project would result in 100 permanent jobs once complete and 200 jobs during construction, and create a town centre footfall of 20,000 shoppers a week. COO of Ennis 2040 Kevin Corrigan said that, “The Ennis 2040 team and Clare County Council are working hard to deliver on the vision of a vibrant and sustainable town centre for future generations. Ennis 2040 will be commencing extensive public consultations on the proposed town centre projects …

THERE will be planning applications next year for two major projects involving retail, office and housing in Ennis town centre. Briefing councillors this week, chief operating officer of Ennis 2040 Kevin Corrigan said it is intended, between office and large retail, to develop about 5,000 square metres of space, including more than 50 apartments. Mr Corrigan, outlining a number of masterplans, claimed significant progress is likely to come in the next two years. “We’ll be lodging two planning applications for town centre sites in 2023, so between office and large retail we intend to develop about 5,000 square metres of space, 50+ apartments,” he told county council members. “The funding models are still being developed, we’re hoping the construction will start after it goes through planning in 2024,” he added. “We’ll be doing a masterplan next year for the Post Office field and we’re hoping to commence construction in 2024 or 2025.” Restating some of Ennis 2040’s purposes Mr Corrigan …

THE CEO of Vitalograph Ireland has said plans for the development of a new Centre of Excellence in Ennis “will offer many opportunities” with confirmation that the move will create 72 new jobs. As reported in last week’s Clare Champion, Clare County Council and Ennis 2040 are selling the Ballymaley Enterprise and Innovation Centre building to Vitalograph Ireland for the development of its new Clinical Trials Services Centre of Excellence. Speaking this week on the plans Frank Keane, CEO, Vitalograph Ireland, said, “This expansion represents a significant development for our company and Vitalograph’s commitment to its Irish operations as well as the local community in County Clare. “The new premises will enable us to support the international growth of our ground-breaking clinical trial solutions. Creating a ‘Centre of Excellence’ here in Ennis reflects the talent and skill that exists in the Vitalograph workforce and will offer many opportunities to people looking to build their careers in this exciting business.” Vitalograph, …

WHILE Ennis is in the grip of a housing crisis, the Ennis 2040 strategy suggests a significant increase in the town’s population can be accommodated. The strategy, launched by An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, proposes high density development composed mostly of two-bedroom units, with some one- and three-bed units. Up to 1,500 apartments could be developed, the strategy posits. Annual population growth of 1.6% per annum is projected, bringing the town’s population to around 37,000 by 2040, and it identifies areas where these new residents can be accommodated. First off, it says that 30 hectares of land in the town centre can be made available for housing in the inner area of Ennis. “It is envisaged that spare land capacity identified in the inner area will be used to achieve a mix of uses, in the form of a combination of commercial and residential development,” the strategy states. “Broadly speaking, a 50-50 split might result in 30 hectares of residential development …

AN Tánaiste Leo Varadkar had high praise for the Ennis 2040 plan, saying he wanted to stress the Government is behind it.  “It’s a really ambitious plan for Ennis, which is the largest town in Munster, Co Clare’s capital town and the public and private sector have come together to develop a really exciting plan to increase the population of the town by 1.6% a year, to secure 5,000 jobs for the town and to develop the whole concept of Ennis being a ten minute town, where everything you need or want is within a ten minute walk or cycle of where you live. “It’s really ambitious and I’m here not just to launch it but to offer Government support and endorsement. I think it’s exactly the kind of thing we want to see other county towns developing around the country. I’m really excited to see it being launched today and look forward to it being implemented.” At the moment …

CLARE County Council has unveiled details of a new economic and spatial strategy that will drive the economic, social and physical development of Ennis over the next 18 years. They claim it will lead to the town being “one of the best places in the world to live, work and visit.” The plan, entitled ‘Ennis 2040 – An Economic and Spatial Strategy’,was launched on Friday morning by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD. According to a statement from the Council the strategic objectives of Ennis 2040 are to position the town as a location for investment, to make it Ireland’s first climate adaptive town, to create ‘Ireland’s First 10 Minute Town’ where a range of community facilities and services are accessible in short timeframes and to promote Ennis as an accessible place of quality with a quality-of-life proposition that sets it apart from other locations. Mr Varadkar said, “I’m really happy to launch this exciting …

A VISION for the future of Ennis will be launched this Friday by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD. The much anticipated Ennis 2040 Economic and Spatial Strategy is, according to Clare County Council, “a bold vision to deliver economic investment and make housing, jobs, amenity and services easier to access for all. The strategy is about building communities and creating one of the best places in the world to live, work and visit.” The strategy has set out ambitious growth targets and proposes the prioritisation of sustainable economic activities that will grow its population on average by 1.6% per annum and deliver an additional 5,000 jobs by 2040. Nine transformational projects have been identified through which the Ennis 2040 vision can be realised. The projects deliver on the concept of the ‘10-minute town’, attracting investment and delivering quality of life. In the implementation of this strategy Ennis will become Ireland’s first Climate Adaptive …