Castlepollard Market House work expected to begin in December

Work on the refurbishment and redevelopment of Castlepollard Market House is expected to begin in December, and a main contractor is due to be appointed in November, subject to the completion of the tender process and departmental approvals.

The update was provided to Cllr Alfie Devine at the September meeting of the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District.

The council’s Regeneration and Capital Delivery Team are progressing the Market House Renovation and Redevelopment Project, and enabling works are under way.

The contract for the relocation of an existing public light has been completed, while the relocation of an existing Eir cabinet is due to begin in the coming weeks.

Evaluation of tenders for the main construction contract is also nearing completion.

Subject to the tender assessment and the required departmental approvals, the council expect to appoint the main contractor in November 2026; construction is to start in December.

Cllr Devine also raised concerns about traffic and parking in the area, seeking the relocation of the bottle banks behind Castlepollard Library to the council depot at Kinturk.

He said there had been a significant increase in traffic in the car park since the adjoining park opened, creating traffic problems and increasing the need for additional parking.

The council’s Environment Section said the bring banks had been in place for a considerable period and provided an important and well-used recycling service for Castlepollard and the surrounding community.

Their current location within the civic area, beside the library and public park, was considered convenient for public access.

The council said the proposed alternative location at Kinturk had previously been assessed and was not considered suitable because of concerns around public access, convenience, traffic management, interaction with depot operations and health and safety.

The bottle banks will therefore remain in their existing location.

Cllr Devine also sought works to address flooding at the entrance to the GAA pitch in Castletown Finea, where surface water is flowing from the road into the car park and recently installed walkway. The District Office said the flooding would be examined and any repairs would be carried out as part of normal maintenance.

Cllr Devine further sought an update on the roll-out of solar compactor bins and whether Castlepollard and Collinstown could be included.

The council said solar compactor bins had been awarded for Raharney, Fore, Finea, Coole and Multyfarnham under the Clár 2025 programme.

They are currently seeking suppliers for the compactors through a tender process. Appropriate local tourism advertisements are to be placed on the bins.

An update was also provided on road sweeping in towns and villages across north Westmeath, including Castlepollard, Multyfarnham, Streete, Boherquill, Lismacaffrey, Coole, Fore, Finea, Whitehall, Collinstown and Drumcree.

The District Office said the street sweeping schedule had been circulated to members and that road sweeping is also carried out intermittently as required.