Cork County Council is seeking a contractor to design a renewal scheme for Macroom South Square and Masseytown.
The value of the contract is €475,000; the complete funding available for South Square and Masseytown is just over €5.15 million.
The works include the area from the junction to Temperance Lane, to include a plaza by the Briery Gap theatre, and down to the Fairy Garden.
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Macroom is the council’s first ‘Decarbonisation Zone’ in the county, and a ‘sustainable and inclusive’ design is required to make Macroom a ‘key destination’ of Múscraí, in light of the years of damage done from huge volumes of traffic pre-bypass.
Other projects planned for Macroom (but not included in this particular scheme) are the renovation of St Colman’s church, the conservation of Castle Gate, and a safer route to school project.
The design is intended to conserve and re-establish the town centre as an ‘economic, cultural and community hub’ for the town, in light of the fact that it is an important centre of population and employment.
As of the 2022 census, Macroom has a population of 4,000 people with almost 29,000 in the wider catchment area.
Contractors are asked to create a design that makes use of vacant building in the core of Macroom, and make it safer and more attractive to walk and cycle, to linger and play, and build upon the river walkway.
The council points out that that the road widths, previously necessary for traffic, are now ‘excessive’, and sound from the road ‘echoes through and down South Square.’
‘There is no space valued by the community as being an open space along the main street, and the Town Centre isn’t serving the community of Macroom to its full potential.’
A permanent canopy that can be retractable is also planned, as are ‘intimate little spaces’ for people to gather.
The design also needs to include things like access to power for the Christmas market, the food festival, and the music festival.
The riverside walk along the Sullane should have ‘a raised viewing area to enjoy the natural flora and fauna in this town centre location’, and connect the main street to the west of the town.
