Tuesday, February 10 2009
Transport planner JMP has won a further significant commission under a major masterplanning framework agreement led by the Paul Hogarth Company that is aimed at revitalising many town and city centres throughout Northern Ireland.
JMP has been appointed to provide transportation expertise in the regeneration of Carrickfergus, whose character is described as having a failing transport structure.
The demand is for a coherent transport plan that links emerging land-use proposals, overcomes the severance problems caused by the A2 passing through the town and gives priority to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.
Carrickfergus is a commuter town for Belfast with road and rail connections under stress, capacity problems on the A2 both within the town and in outlying areas and an overflowing park and ride at the railway station. Access to public transport also needs to be improved.
The commission follows on from earlier work by JMP in Coleraine, where it further developed the existing VISSIM microsimulation model of the town centre to take account of a number of significant development proposals within the town, and projects in Armagh, Omagh, Enniskellen and Ballymena.
JMP is part of the masterplanning team led by The Paul Hogarth Company, appointed under a four year framework agreement. The work to date has been initiated by Northern Ireland’s Department for Social Development, which has responsibility for revitalising town and city centres using a variety of mean, including comprehensive development.
The team is delivering master-planning and town planning, evaluation of proposals and planning and urban design advice.