9 hours ago
€5bn plan to turn Athlone into a green city unveiled
A €5bn master plan has been unveiled for a new green city in Athlone as a solution to Ireland's future population growth.
The blueprint by Ballymore Group aims to cater for a population of 100,000 by 2040.
The details were outlined by the groups founder and chairman, Sean Mulryan, who shared his vision for a sustainable planned 15-minute city with a wide range of stakeholders including Government ministers and opposition spokespeople, and with senior figures across the Irish education sector, industry, state agencies and local authorities.
The plan, which Mr Mulryan spoke about it detail in the Business Post today, was later confirmed by his company.
The plan proposes the expansion of the TUS university campus in Athlone to facilitate 25,000 students.
The plan also proposes the construction of a 5,000 bed eco-friendly student village.
Mr Mulryan's plan includes 20,000 zero-carbon homes as well as new health, educational, arts and sporting facilities to facilitate the population growth it estimates will reach 100,000 people.
The plan also proposes that 5,000 hectares of surrounding land is allocated for rewilded wetlands, callows and rewetting of bogs.
Mr Mulryan said the plan, which is seven years in the making, has been discussed with government ministers, opposition spokespeople and senior stakeholders in the education and industry sectors, as well as state agencies and local authorities.
In a statement today, the company said that the plan for Athlone is "one that could be replicated to provide regionally balanced growth while enabling Ireland's green transition".
he company said: "Athlone was identified as the ideal pilot as it has all the fundamental building blocks in place including the university, a town centre with room to expand and enable green transport and the natural resources to allow 90% of its energy to be generated from renewal sources and to support the national energy transition.
"It's central location in the heart of Ireland and bridging the North-West and Midlands regions also ensure a wide economic benefit."
Mr Mulryan said his company will do all it can to make the plan become a reality however "it needs to be driven from the top by government, by this administration and by the successor governments that take office in the years ahead, if it is to come to pass."
Mr Mulryan has assembled a steering group to bring this new green city to life.
The company wants to see the adoption of the National Planning Framework to allow for the delivery of educational, residential, commercial and biodiverse infrastructure.
Athlone and the surrounding areas must also be declared as nationally important strategic, enterprise and biodiversity zones, it said.
Ballymore hopes to secure private and public investment for the plan which it said is "a credible blueprint for addressing Ireland's demographic and environmental challenges, decarbonising and stimulating the economy, restoring natural habitats and rebalancing development away from the east coast"
