Tralee wins National Urban Design Award

Tralee Town Council has won the National Urban Design Award organised by the Irish Planning Institute for its Town Centre Pedestrianisation Project. The award was presented at a special ceremony in the IFSC in Dublin [Nov 25] by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr. Dick Roche T.D. Tralee Town Council was represented at the awards' ceremony by Mr. Michael Scannell, Town Clerk, Mr. Gerry Riordan, Town Engineer, and Ms. Victoria McCarthy, Executive Planner.

The Tralee Pedestrianisation Project derived from the recommendations of the Tralee Town Centre Framework Plan prepared by Brady Shipman Martin which proposed the creation of a mixed use vibrant quarter for the area and set out an overall design framework for the public realm of the town. Phase 1 of the plan, designed by architect Nicholas de Jong, has resulted in the successful transformation of The Square which was previously used for car parking into a high quality environment of significant benefit to the town.

According to the adjudicators: "The project successfully meets the challenge set down by the site in terms of the pulling together of a number of diverse spaces. This has been done seamlessly and effortlessly resulting in the creation of a coherent and high quality environment with a number of nodal spaces. Lighting and street furniture are of a high quality and are well positioned in the space. Materials used complement the environs, are of a high quality and are of strong visual appearance and quality throughout a range of weathers and lighting conditions".

The National Planning Awards have been established by the Irish Planning Institute to recognise outstanding projects which reflect new ways of moving planning beyond the traditional emphasis on infrastructure - important though it is - to articulate a positive vision of both the built form and the social and economic structures it houses. Other awards winners were South Dublin County Council / O'Mahony Pike Architects for the Adamstown SDZ Planning Scheme 2003 and Dublin City Council for the Dublin City Walls and Defences Conservation Plan. The Tralee Project will now go forward to represent Ireland in the European Urban Design Competition.