Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning Peter Burke was in Thurles today for the Official Opening of Phase 1 of the Liberty Square Enhancement Project.
The project was completed as part of the Project Ireland 2040 designed to deliver enhanced growth in Ireland’s regions. Funding of €5.4 million for the project was provided by the Urban Regeneration Development Fund – the overall cost of the Liberty Square enhancement is thought to be €10.5 million.
Minister Burke told the assembled guests representing local residents and businesses that a sense of place has become a key element of any economic proposition and that in particular infrastructure projects are now key to stimulating and enhancing commercial development.
Minster Burke described Liberty Square as a great example of how this can be best achieved and congratulated Tipperary County Council and key stakeholders such as the Thurles Chamber for the very successful advancement of Phase 1 of this project.
Phase II will see the Western end of the Square being enhanced in the coming years.
The project involved the construction of a new car park, new street paving, the undergrounding of all cables and the installation of new lighting, planting and seating.
The carriageway for traffic is narrowed and there is less car parking space in the centre of Liberty Square.
The wider footpaths are designed to provide opportunities for outdoor dining.
The N62 and the N75 presently converge in Liberty Square and the Council has plans for a Thurles inner relief road and a town by pass to enable traffic congestion to be removed from the town centre at some future date.
