LOUGH MUCKNO MASTER PLAN MOVING FORWARD

Monaghan County Council has announced public consultation opportunities at the commencement of the preparation of a 10-year Master Plan for Lough Muckno and Environs, Castleblayney. There are a number of opportunities for the public to get involved and shape this master plan, which will provide a blueprint for the future development of Lough Muckno and its environs over the next 10 years. “Lough Muckno is a wonderful resource, firstly for the people of Castleblayney, while there are remarkable opportunities to create a very attractive tourism offer,” commented Robert Burns, Chief Executive, Monaghan County Council.

“With this master plan, we want the local community to work with the Council to ensure that we achieve the right balance, that we retain that feel of a town park for locals, and creating a visitor attraction, and realising the benefits to the vitality of Castleblayney itself.” Cunnane Stratton Reynolds have been appointed and will lead a multi- disciplinary team in the development of the master plan through three key stages of Information gathering and analysis, Emerging concepts, and a Draft Masterplan in early 2026.

The community will be invited to have their say at each of the stages. County Council Cathaoirleach Paul Gibbons is encouraging the community to get involved, “Community engagement is a key part of all aspects of the project to ensure buy-in and to support the delivery of emerging actions of the plan. At this Information gathering and ideas stage, we are now asking the community to participate in a public event and an online community survey, giving residents and local interest groups the opportunity to share their views, what they enjoy about Lough Muckno, what is missing, what they would like to see, and how they imagine Lough Muckno and Environs could be in ten years’ time.”…