Longford Connected
A New Chapter for Longford Town Centre
Completed: September 2023
Total Investment: €5,058,179.07
Funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with Match Funding provided by Longford County Council
The Longford Connected Placemaking Initiative is a transformative urban regeneration project led by Longford County Council. Initiated in 2019 and completed in September 2023, the project represents a bold, collaborative, and holistic approach to revitalising Longford's town core. It aligns with the adopted planning framework and responds to long-standing challenges in accessibility, connectivity, and land activation.
Strategic Vision and National Alignment
This initiative was designed to overcome the limitations of traditional sectoral funding streams, which often focus on discrete areas such as transport, housing, or environment. Instead, Longford Connected delivers a strategic, integrated solution to unlock key parcels of land adjacent to the town centre - lands that have remained underutilised despite successive development plans.
The project is fully aligned with Project Ireland 2040 and the National Planning Framework, supporting key national strategic outcomes such as:
- Compact urban growth
- Sustainable mobility
- Enhanced accessibility and connectivity
- Vibrant town centres as economic drivers
By reinforcing sustainable walking routes between high-demand areas - schools, transport nodes, commercial zones, residential neighbourhoods, and amenities - the initiative promotes social inclusion, economic activity, and environmental sustainability. It also contributes to the national transition objective by reducing the need to travel and encouraging modal shift.
Scope of Works
Shopping Centre Enhancements
- Upgraded footpaths, parking areas, and carriageways
- Tabletop pedestrian crossings, raised zebra crossings. bollards, and street furniture
- New public lighting, signage, landscaping, and planting
- Digital interactive point and improved connectivity between Grafton Court and Main Street
Market Square Revitalisation
- Upgrades to footpaths, taxi ranks, tree planting, and carriageways (N63)
- Alterations to off-street parking
- New street furniture, lighting, signage, landscaping, and removal of overhead wires
- Digital interactive congregation structure and tabletop pedestrian crossings
Design Philosophy and Cultural Integration
This initiative draws inspiration from St Mel's Cathedral, a symbol of civic pride and resilience. Design elements - materials, surfacing, and forms - echo the Cathedral's architecture, creating a consistent visual language throughout the town centre. This reinforces themes of rebirth, regeneration, and identity, while ensuring accessibility and engagement with Longford's built heritage.
Historic and cultural features that illustrate Longford's urban morphology are incorporated to enhance the town's image and profile, supporting heritage-led regeneration and vitality.
Public Realm and Regeneration Impact
This project delivers a network of secure, active, and intuitively navigable public spaces, ensuring that all users can move comfortably and enjoyably through the town. These elements support compact urban growth and reduce the need to travel, in alignment with Project Ireland 2040 and the National Planning Framework.
Focusing on the designed regeneration area, Longford Connected draws together substantial social, economic, and environmental assets to realise the transformational potential of strategic sites. It positions Longford as an economic driver for the North Midlands and a key support hub for surrounding rural economies.
Economic and Social Impact
- Job Creation: Temporary employment during construction
- Economic Boost: Increased demand for local services and supplies
- Construction Challenges: Temporary disruptions to businesses, traffic, and public spaces
A Town Reimagined
Longford Connected is more than the sum of its parts. It is a strategic, phased, and place-led initiative that brings together public investment, private development, and community vision. By addressing infrastructure, identity, and inclusivity in a unified way, the project lays the foundation for a thriving, sustainable, and connected Longford town centre - an economic driver for the North Midlands and a proud reflection of its heritage.
