Client: Waterways Ireland

Waterways Ireland secured funding to progress an element of the overall Ulster Canal restoration project in Clones. As part of the wider restoration project, there is a proposal to create a water-sports, marina and associated dry-side facilities directly adjacent to the Ulster Canal Stores Visitor Centre, an important heritage resource. The objective is to create a hub of activities for members of the local community, which can also draw in visitors from further afield – in effect creating a ‘destination’ by adding to the critical mass of facilities within Clones.

PSC was commissioned to carry out a study to develop a vision and prepare a viable development plan for the project. This involved working across multiple stakeholders and interested parties. Our work included carrying out a site review, market demand assessment and evaluating a number of case examples to identify critical success factors. Alongside this, we managed a programme of consultation including workshops with a range of stakeholders and developed a number of future options (of different forms, scale and component elements which we evaluated to identify a lead development option. Working closely with the client team we set out the delivery mechanism and future development action plan to take the project forward. Stakeholder engagement and buy-in was a critical element of the project to ensure it was deliverable by the different partners and despite differing views, we helped steer the project team to reach consensus. PSC worked with design Partner Stickland Wright on this project.

How can we help?
If you have any questions about our work in the canals or watersports sectors please don’t hesitate to call Richard Linington on 023 9248 1999 or email richard@pslplan.co.uk