Letterkenny Urban Regeneration Master Plan – Concept

Analysis of Existing

Our analysis of the existing town centre area found an over emphasis on provision of infrastructure for the car and extremely poor provision for pedestrians, both for general movements and in particular in connecting the historic town centre with the town centre extension area. The key findings included:

• The existing infrastructure has been designed for the car.
• Lighting is poor, and is again designed for the car and not pedestrians.
• Footpaths and pedestrian routes are not clearly marked, and are poorly maintained.
• No shelter from the elements is provided.
• The River Swilly has no presence in the town.
• There are almost no parks or amenity areas, and none central to the town centre extension area.
• There are no connections to the river.

Our concept proposals therefore focused on two areas, namely improvement of the pedestrian network and linkages, and provision of a river walkway/cycle way and linear park.

Pedestrian Network

It is proposed to establish a continuous pedestrian network that connects the Main Street with the Pearse Road and the town centre extension area and also links pedestrian amenities like linear parks and the river walkway.

The pedestrian network will be established by:

• a continuous ground surface clearly separate and identifiable as a pedestrian path including new road crossings,
• a continuous lighting system at a pedestrian scale,
• canopies at important nodes and along paths which can be expected to support heavy footfall, e.g., creating an arcade along a shopping promenade.

These three elements will make the network identifiable for pedestrians and improve overall experience and convenience of exploring the town as a pedestrian. A number of routes are identified to increase connectivity between the historic town centre and the town centre extension area.

River Walk and Linear Park

Upgrading the River Swilly embankment to provide a walkway from the Port Bridge to Ballymacool (and its planned public park) is proposed, together with a number of pedestrian river crossings to ensure a continuous route and access from both sides of the river. This river walk will be extended into the town centre along Isle Burn and to other parts of the town along Rogers Burn. These will help to create a presence in the town of one of its greatest potential amenities, the River Swilly and its tributaries.

The network of linear parks proposed will connect the River Swilly to the existing Letterkenny Town Park, through the town centre extension area. Further, they will also provide a high quality pedestrian link to the town centre from the Pubic Services Centre, Tourist Office, and the proposed Transport Hub and Tourist Flagship Project.