| Description:
Four towns
– Portlaoise, Rathdowney, Rosenallis and Durrow -
were selected by Laois Co. Council for the 2003 Urban &
Village Improvement Scheme. The measures required for improvement
of the towns were outlined by the communities. Murray &
Associates interpreted and designed the improvements which
ranged from simple tree planting and provision of site furniture
to the development of urban plaza spaces.
The largest scheme was in James Fintan Lalor Avenue, Portlaoise.
This route used to be on the N7 roadway – the main
Dublin-Cork road. Here, the improvements included tree and
hedge planting to define the avenue and the creation of
new urban spaces. Two new plaza spaces are constructed at
important nodes along the avenue – at the tourist
information centre and the entrance to Laois Shopping Centre.
These are designed to visually link the two sides of the
existing roundabout. The spaces include lighting, paving
and planting details to create comfortable urban spaces.
The scheme for Rathdowney involved the redesign of a car
park on the Main Street. This involved paving, resurfacing,
improvements to existing limestone wall and planting of
trees and shrubs. In Rosenallis, improvements were made
to paths and amenity area including creation of parking
area and provision of site furniture. In Durrow, there were
a number of measures, including tree planting and the creation
of a wildlife area.
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