*Photograph: Joe Buckley
Senior officials in Clare County Council have said they are “working closely” with the new owners of Shannon Town Centre.
Urban Green have recently acquired the shopping centre and have began with a rebrand naming it Shannon Town Centre to replace the previous SkyCourt Shopping Centre tag. The owners already have Castletroy Shopping Centre in their portfolio.
Vacant units have been opened with lights switched on over the past month to give potential buyers a look at prospective retail spaces.
Clare County Council are keen to develop its role in the town centre which was demonstrated in socially distanced events organised before Christmas, senior executive officer Jason Murphy referenced at a recent meeting of the Shannon Municipal District.
Numerous meetings have been held between senior officials from the local authority and Tom Coughlan, owner of Urban Green.
Director of Economic Development, Liam Conneally noted that the new owners now possess “a significant swathe of property and the area covered” that a close relationship is important between both parties.
A delay has been experienced with the completion of the spatial masterplan for Shannon Town. Originally due to be finished in October of last year, the plan is now due to be finalised in the first quarter of 2021. Funding of €100,000 was allocated for the plan under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF). A category A application had been made for URDF to try construct The Venue, a planned community, civic, cultural and interpretative centre for Shannon, instead category B funding was awarded.
Some key projects from the plan will require co-operation from Urban Green in order for them to progress, Conneally outlined.
