€47m Sligo City Transformation Takes Shape: ‘Sligo Streets’ Work to Start Q1 2026
SLIGO – A major €47.88 million urban regeneration project for Sligo town center, encompassing both street enhancements and a new cultural hub, is moving forward, with work on the first phase expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026.
The two key projects are being funded primarily through the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF):
- ‘Sligo Streets’ Public Realm Project (€19.2m): This project aims to transform and upgrade streets like Stephen Street, Holborn Street, Rockwood Parade, Water Lane, and Tobergal Lane, which are currently described as “infrastructurally unsound” and “not user-friendly” by local representatives. The upgrade seeks to improve aesthetics, usability, and visitor appeal. Sligo County Council confirmed that the contract for the first phase is in the final tender assessment stage and is expected to be awarded in Q4 2025, subject to approval from the Department of Heritage, Local Government and Heritage.
- ‘City Campus’ Cultural and Learning Hub (€28.68m): This is a significant strategic transformation and regeneration of an underutilised “brownfield” site between Stephen Street and Connaughton Road. The vision is to create a new cultural and learning center in the heart of the town.
Councillor Thomas Walsh, who sought the project update, welcomed the progress. He highlighted the urgent need for renewal, citing Holborn Street—the town’s oldest street and a main entrance for tourism buses—as being in an “appalling state.”
In a key development for the City Campus project, Reddy Architecture and Urbanism has been appointed as the Urban Design and Planning Consultancy to prepare the necessary Masterplan. The nine-month contract was awarded in September, and the Compulsory Purchase process for required land has been initiated.
The Council has committed to having its project engineer directly address Cllr Walsh’s query regarding the provision of additional car parking spaces during the construction phase.
