The designers working on the Ward River Valley Regional Park project have come back with their first draft and there are some really incredible proposals.
The team are putting forward three projects for the first phase of the park redevelopment with a fourth that will come after, but is so interesting that it is worth a mention.
Sports Hub on the Brackenstown side
The proposal is to create a large sports and recreation hub on the north side of the valley at the Swords Manor pitches, to rival the Rivervalley one.
It will contain an all weather pitch, upgraded sports pitches, several courts (I’m assuming basketball or tennis), changing facilities, car parks, as well as sustainable drainage systems.
Cllr Ian Carey said:
“This is a really exciting proposal and one which will really strongly benefit the clubs and community in the North Swords area. It is important to get the balance right between retaining and conserving the nature in the park and developing better facilities. This is an area that is appropriate for development so I’m really delighted to see such a strong proposed investment here.”
Restoring the Walled Garden and building a Greenway
Beside the Knocksedan Estate there is the historic walled garden of Brackenstown House. The proposal here is to restore that for potential use as a community garden and to use it as the starting point of a walking and cycling Greenway that will run all the way from Knocksedan to the Town Centre. It will involve providing a number of new bridges over the river to allow for ease of travel between the connecting estates to the village.
Cllr Ian Carey said:
“It’s great to see a really strong level of connectivity planned right through the park and in particular for Knocksedan, which is so isolated. The restoration and redevelopment of the walled garden is also something of huge community benefit. There is something similar in Millenium Park which works really well as a local allotment.”
Restoring the historic canal
Many people in Swords have walked by this thousands of times and never knew it existed, but beside the new all weather pitch on the River Valley side there are the remnants of a canal dating back to the 1700’s. It was more of an elaborate water feature than a working canal in the normal sense. The plan now is expose and rewet the part of the original canal, which is currently in the park boundary (part is still in private ownership), and to create a kind of tranquil space within the park that might be lined with trees as it was when it was originally designed and possibly sculptures too. They will aim also to restore the view from the end of the canal directly down the valley towards the round tower, that was the original aim of the Italian designer Alessandro Galilei who came to Ireland in 1716.
Cllr Ian Carey said:
“It is so facinating to explore the history of the site and this part of the project will really bring that element alive. It’s really important to recognise that the history of this area is much much older than many other historic estates in the Fingal area and at one point was a place of unparalleled grandure. This canal is just one glimpse of that and it is really important to bring that back.”
Walking and Cycling Bridge over the Valley
This is an ambition set out by the planners as more of a medium term objective but it is certainly worth mentioning because if done right it could become a really iconic structure in Swords, as well as a really vital connection for getting around the town. The plan is to connect the two sports hubs in Brackenstown and River Valley with a walking and cycling bring to really bring all the amenities together and allow for greater connectivity north and south in Swords.
Cllr Ian Carey said:
“This is a really good proposal. It’s something that I think would be a game changer for the both access to amenities and for connectivity around Swords. The lack for a north south link is something I discussed with the consultants and improving that is really essential to making Swords a walkable and liveable town. Now that said, we will need to see detailed design and proposals on this and any structure like this will need to live up to its central location with some really striking design. If done right it could become a really iconic part of the park and of the town.”
To see the plans in person there are two consultations planned for this weekend. See below.
