Masterplan for river being developed in Shannonbridge
Anyone with an interest or an opinion on the future of the Shannon River in Shannonbridge is invited to come along to a public consultation meeting in the village on Thursday, October 20 in the local hall at 8pm.
A new masterplan of the river, funded by Just Transition, is currently being developed to come up with ways it could be enhanced as an amenity into the future.
Judith Annett of Countryside Consultancy was appointed in July by Shannonbridge Action Group, and the local community group is hoping the publication will be complete by Christmas.
“Our ultimate hope for this masterplan is that it will give us a vision of what the Shannon will look like going into the future to allow us to prioritise areas which could be developed to enhance it as an amenity,” Vincent Darcy from Shannonbridge Action Group explained, adding that it will align with the goals and objectives of the Waterways Ireland/Fáilte Ireland plan for the entire Shannon River.
“We felt Shannonbridge needs to utilise the major tourism asset that it has, that is the Shannon, to maximise its potential for the community, both as an economic driver and as an amenity,” he added.
He believes the river in Shannonbridge is currently “underutilised” despite being a popular stop-off for boats where both marinas are full during the summer months, and with the potential of a stop off through Shannonbridge along the new Athlone to Galway section of the greenway, there is a need to examine how more activities can be provided on the water to keep people in the area longer.
It's hoped the new masterplan will examine similar offerings in other riverside locations nationally or internationally for relevant trends and products offered in similar locations and see what opportunities are available to Shannonbridge.
Surveys of boat users have already been conducted to get a sense of numbers and opinions of the village, and now it's the turn of locals and businesses on October 20 to tell the group what they want to see on the river in the years ahead.
Mr Darcy called for ideas from people providing water-based activities from other areas in Offaly, swimmers, boat users, the public or anyone with an interest to come along to the meeting, if they can't make the event, contact any member of their group to give their feedback.