Vision for new street linking Railway St and Academy St as part of 'cultural quarter' regeneration

A NEW street linking Railway Street and Academy Street in Navan could form part of the regeneration of the area and development of a cultural quarter.

The proposals for the Railway Street area would also involve opening up the view of the new County Archive, located in the former St Finian's Study Hall, to the streets.

The new street could be either a pedestrian route or a road with traffic, running behind the current railway line.

At a meeting of Navan Municipal Council last week, councillors heard that their ideas and those of local groups and the public will be taken on board before the proposed Railway Street Regeneration Strategy details are finalised.

Architect Brendan Redmond said the site was right heart of town had huge potential for the town's future growth.

"Encompassing Academy Street and Railway Street, the area would be a bridge between the future growth of town and the existing town centre. It would be a bridge between heritage of Navan and what will come in the future and our masterplan will look at that.".

Mr Redmond said the existing site is underutilised. "It is a backland area at the moment and presents great opportunity for regeneration."

He explained that the ideas were embryonic at the moment.

He said the site could encompass residential and mixed use development and they would look to see how to tie the archive development into the future of the town.

He said they would be looking at opening up the new archive building to the wider area.

"Even under the current proposals for the building, it is quite tucked away and difficult to see. We will look at what we can do in terms of landscaping, opening up boundaries to get a view from the street."

He said they were open to ideas for land use. The new street could have two, three or four storey apartments or housing. There was also ab opportunity for a play area, one the green space between Academy Street and St Finian's Terrace.

Director of services, Martin Murray, said the new county archive building is hidden. "It is a beautiful building, we have got the funding for it, but it is hidden from the town. We want to bring it on to integrate it to the middle of the town. We have the NTA project on Circular Road, the completed work on Fair Green and we want to link them together."

The Mayor, Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons said the proposal for a new street was amazing. "The proximity to the new railway station is unbelievable. Will Meath County council build this ourselves or sell it to someone else to develop?

"We are all in favour and look forward to the next stage."

Cllr John Duffy suggested in order to tie in the old town and the proposed new development, they should include a bit more retail. "We need to have some commercial development there to link the old and new towns."

Cllr Eddie Fennessy said the development of a new street at the heart of Navan’s cultural quarter presented an opportunity to further enhance the area.

"Developing civic space and retail units at street level with residential units above works very well on the continent and it would blend right in, to an area of high public amenity. The continental approach is absolutely the way to go for me.

“Linking a new street with other projects like the County Archive and with the Solstice Arts Centre will transform the area by creating a space that all of the people can enjoy. Such developments provide for the finest of civic infrastructure that will be used and appreciated long into the future.”

Cllr Francis Deane said the proposals would bring more life into the area, but he would not like to see too many parking spaces lost.

Cllr Yemi Adenuga welcomed the proposals but noted the big shift from cars to a more pedestrian area. "What will that mean day to day for people? Where will residents park, especially people with disabilities and carers coming to look after elderly residents?" she asked.

Cllr Alan Lawes said it great to see the town developing positively. Since the Solstice is there, we should have an arts/cultural quarter. We should engage with local groups to see how it could be developed as a cultural quarter."

Cllr Emer Tóibín said she was in favour of the proposals. "It is very accessible. I would love to see modern affordable apartment alongside the historic buildings."

- Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme