Fresh push to 'clean-up' West Limerick town square for summer amid amenity upgrades

Calls have been made for a summer clean-up of a West Limerick town’s main public square, with work expected to focus on improving public spaces and amenities.

The issue was raised at the April meeting of the Newcastle West Municipal District, where Fine Gael councillor Tom Ruddle called for "a clean up of The Square in Newcastle West for the summer," including the cleaning and repainting of tables and seats.

He also called on the MD to "add additional seating in the Demesne and replace broken seats across the river in South Quay."

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The motion was seconded by Cathaoirleach for the district, Michael Collins, who said the improvements should be part of an annual "rolling" maintenance project to keep the seating and tables in good condition year-round.

Cllr Ruddle noted that the current seats, which were originally installed during the Covid pandemic, were heavily used but have now "gone filthy" and some are "rotten."

He added that a few extra seats in the main square would be welcome, noting that “a lot of older people use the main and I suppose it would be nice” to have the additional seating.

Independent councillor Jerome Scanlan described the motion as "timely," saying the seating enhancements had provided important amenities for people using the area.

In a written response, Senior Executive Engineer Ben Noonan confirmed that Limerick City and County Council "will carry out a survey and determine what works are required in terms of the Square."

He said that the provision of seating in the Demesne will be discussed with out colleagues in Parks department.

Cllr Collins said the survey and planning or works are welcome, noting that "we will have to wait for the update, but it’s needed."