Progress on Nenagh centre of excellence earmarked for Martyrs Road

The Nenagh Municipal District authority is hoping to seek planning permission for the construction of a new multi-million euro Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Energy at Martyrs Road, Nenagh, by the end of this year.

The news was revealed by the district’s Administrator Rosemary Joyce at the April meeting.

The funding for the development of the new centre is already in place, granted by the last government through its Urban Renewal Development Fund.

Cllr Séamie Morris urged that the council press ahead with major schemes planned for Nenagh for which funding had already been granted. He said substantial funding had already been drawn down by the council for both the redevelopment of the Rialto Cinema site and for enhancement of the town’s Historical and Cultural Quarter centred on Banba Square. “A sum of €1.6 million has already been spent on the historical quarter and the Rialto - and yet a spade has not been put into the ground,” said Cllr Morris.

He said that due to financial upheavals taking place around the world, it was important that the council tried to get works on the two sites underway as soon as possible because there was unlikely to be as much grant aid available from here on due to economic instability.

Ms Joyce said the funds drawn down through the Rural Regeneration Development Fund for the Rialto and the Historical and Cultural Quarter were only to cover the planning stages of proposed developments. The council now had go on and compete again with many other projects across the county to try to secure funding from central government to actually develop both sites. Ms Joyce confirmed that funds were in place to build the new centre of excellence at Martyr’s Road. Asked by Cllr JP O’ Meara, if the council had acquired the old Abbey Machinery building required to construct the new centre, Ms Joyce said discussions were taking place with the owners and the local authority was confident that issues were moving forward. Cllr Michael O’ Meara urged that a roundabout be constructed at the entrance to the site. He said the location, situated on a bend on the road beside the old Franciscian Abbey, was extremely difficult for motorists to negotiate.