Plans revealed for new outdoor community space at historic site in Carlow

Plans have been revealed for a new outdoor community space at a historic site in County Carlow.

The proposed development at Duckett’s Grove was outlined at the January meeting of the Carlow Municipal District.

A fabric, tent-like structure is set to be installed at the location of a former agricultural shed on the site.

This structure would be used as a community events space and aims to compliment the nearby historic building.

Barry Knowles, Senior Executive Officer at Carlow County Council, made a presentation to members present on the plans.

READ NEXT: Old Carlow cottage set to be demolished to make way for new housing estate

Mr Knowles said: “I suppose everyone’s aware that there was an agricultural shed in the location that we’re proposing for this outdoor community structure at the moment.

“That agricultural shed had to be removed due to a safety issue and there were calls for a replacement to go in its place in relation to Duckett’s Grove.

“So we applied for funding under Participation Nation. We were lucky to receive the total amount of funding that we were looking for.”

He went on to outline what function the structure will serve and the thinking behind installing it at that location.

“It will still give plenty of space and shelter for an outdoor events space and this can be used then by Active Carlow for community events, for different types of events out of Duckett’s Grove.

“With the sort of tent style fabric structure that we’re proposing there, it will complement the historic structure of Duckett’s Grove as well.

“We’ve seen this in various other locations in Ireland where some of these structures complement the historic structures very well. One example in particular would be up in Trim Castle in County Meath.”

Mr Knowles concluded by saying that the council intends to go to tender for the project in the next two or three weeks.

However, Fine Gael councillor Fergal Browne told the meeting that he wasn’t “too sure” about the canopy idea.

Cllr Browne asked: “Is that storm proof or what happens if a hurricane is coming? Does it get taken down?

“I don’t want a replica of what happened in Mayo with the [Connacht GAA Air] Dome that blew away.”

In response, Mr Knowles cited the work that is being done to make sure the canopy is well constructed and secure.

He stated: “We’ve done extensive engineering work in relation to the canopy. There’s going to be foundations and those foundations are going to anchor the roof.

“So it won’t be taken down for a storm event. It will be up all year round.

“These structures are in place in various other places in Ireland. One recent area is Thurles, where it was being developed in a public realm scheme in Thurles.

“They haven’t had any issue with it to date so I can’t envisage that we would be taking it down for any storm events anyway.”

In a statement, the council said that the tensile fabric structure “offers a lightweight, versatile and visually striking solution that complements the historic and landscaped setting of the site”.

It added that such structures “create attractive, contemporary spaces while remaining flexible in use, making them well suited to hosting a whole range of events and activities”.

The project is being funded under the Participation Nation Outdoor Initiative, which aims to increase community participation in sports and physical activities.