Clara Town Plan identifies key opportunity sites for regeneration

A number of sites in Clara that could potentially house a variety of uses, ranging from a landmark building to a creative hub, heritage musuem, distillery and brewery and large retail store, have been identified as part of the Clara Town First Draft Plan.

The plan published recently was drawn up following Clara's selection as one of 26 towns nationwide to be allocated €100,000 in funding in December 2021 by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, for the delivery of Town Centre First Plans. The Town Centre First Plan for Clara has been prepared by RMLA, Urban Agency and SYSTRA.

It identifies a number of opportunity sites such as Erry Mill, lands to the rear of River Street/Main Street and Charlestown Mill.

Erry Mill is described as the largest surviving flour mill in Offaly and occupies a prominent site at the corner of Ballycumber Road and Bridge St.

The site contains protected structures and its redevelopment, the plan says, should include the careful restoration and reuse of these buildings. Potential uses include a creative hub, incubation facilities, enterprise centre, community meeting spaces, conference facilities, office and residential development.

The Erry Mill site offers the potential opportunity to not only regenerate a number of noteworthy buildings within the town centre but also to celebrate and promote the story of Clara’s former industrial history, according to the draft plan.

Potential uses for the lands to the rear of River Street include a contemporary landmark building, mixed-use scheme, large convenience retail store, covered market space, residential development and surface car park.

Charlestown Mill is a protected structure and potential uses identified in the plan include a heritage museum, distillery/brewery, craft work, galleries, café, third level education facility, primary care centre and residential care facilities.

The plan also cites the regeneration of the former Co-Op building as an opportunity to bring a prominent building back into active use as a new community building that would provide spaces for the many community groups in the town such as the community council, town team, heritage society, tidy towns and Chamber of Commerce.

The proposed re-development of the building also incorporates a new active travel link running south over the river and connecting with the Erry Mill site. The current parking area to the front of the post office is proposed to be re-imagined as a civic plaza as part of this project.

Multiple heritage sites, which could become anchors for Clara in terms of cultural/tourism or community assets, have been identified such as Clashawaun Jute Works, Goodbody House, Erry Mill, Charlestown Mill, Drayton Villa and the Railway Bridge. Restoration and re-use of the former Clara-Banagher railway line from Kilbride Cemetery to River Street also provides an opportunity to create a new Greenway active travel route, the plan suggests, along with a footpath linking the town with Clara Bog.

The Goodbody’s Reservoir provides an additional destination along the industrial heritage route that will be created by the new River Walk and could be attached to the redevelopment of the Erry Mill site as a tourism development with a joined up approach.

Given the largest industry group that Clara residents belonged to was ‘manufacturing,' it's considered that this sector is an economic strength for the town with employers such as Paltech and Thrace Synthetic Packaging Ltd already well established. As a result, there may be opportunities for Clara to establish itself as a ‘manufacturing hub’ within the Midlands region which could lead to future growth for Clara.

The draft plan also recommends the provision of off-street parking, outlining a number of potential locations and adequate links which should be provided to proposed off-street car parks to the town centre amenities and businesses and a one-way system along Main Street, Egan’s Lane and Bridge Street. It also supports the development of a future Relief Road to the north east of the town.

Overall, the strategic aims for Clara identified in the plan include delivering high quality housing of a sufficient scale, the promotion of permeable, healthy neighbourhoods, the protection of Clara’s built heritage assets and the provision of ecological connectivity and walking and cycling infrastructure throughout the town.

The plan was presented at an Information Session held in Clara Library last month where the key themes and conceptual projects from the Draft Plan were on display for public viewing.

To view the plan visit offaly.ie