Restoring Nature, Connecting Communities

Carrick-on-Shannon Wetland Park is a landscape-led vision that transforms an underused and flood-prone wetland into a resilient public park for people and nature. Developed as part of the Town Centre First Plan for Carrick-on-Shannon, the proposal reimagines a largely inaccessible site as a connected ecological landscape, creating new opportunities for recreation, education and biodiversity while strengthening the town's relationship with its natural environment. ACT was appointed to lead the public consultation process and develop the visual communication materials that supported the project, working alongside Project Lead McCloy Consulting, Carrick-on-Shannon Tidy Towns and Leitrim County Council.

Working with the landscape

Located just a short walk from the town centre, the 9-hectare site has remained largely undeveloped due to its wetland conditions, flooding, steep topography and fragmented access. Crossed by drainage channels and divided by Leitrim Road, the landscape presented both environmental challenges and significant opportunities for ecological restoration.

The proposed Wetland Park embraces these existing natural systems rather than attempting to overcome them. By restoring wetland habitats, improving water management and introducing carefully designed public access, the project creates a multifunctional landscape that enhances biodiversity while providing a valuable amenity for residents, schools and visitors.

A Nature-First Vision

The concept adopts a nature-first approach that places ecological restoration at the heart of the design. Existing wetlands, streams and drainage corridors become assets rather than constraints, creating a resilient landscape capable of storing floodwater, supporting wildlife and improving water quality.

Rather than imposing new infrastructure onto the site, the design works with its natural hydrology, allowing ecological processes to shape how people experience the landscape. Nature-based Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) are incorporated alongside Leitrim Road to filter surface water before it enters the wetland, improving both environmental performance and long-term resilience.

Improving Access and Active Travel

A new network of accessible walking and cycling routes reconnects the eastern and western sides of the site, improving links to the town centre while providing attractive alternatives to existing movement corridors. Raised boardwalks allow visitors to experience sensitive wetland habitats without disturbing them, while widened footpaths and gentle gradients create an inclusive environment for people of all ages and abilities. Together, these improvements encourage active travel and strengthen connections between the town, its communities and the natural landscape.

Community-Led Consultation

Meaningful engagement formed a key part of the project's development. ACT designed and facilitated a two-stage consultation programme that brought together local authorities, the Town Team, Tidy Towns representatives and the wider community. The consultation combined workshops, mapping exercises, interviews, online surveys and on-site engagement, helping to communicate the vision clearly while gathering valuable local insight. Positive community feedback demonstrated strong support for transforming the underused landscape into a new public amenity for Carrick-on-Shannon with 95% of in-person participants and online survey responses feeling that the proposed wetland park design responds well to the needs of Carrick-on-Shannon.

Collaborative Delivery

The Carrick-on-Shannon Wetland Park highlights the value of collaborative working in delivering climate-resilient places. By bringing together expertise in landscape architecture, engineering, ecology, community engagement and design, the project demonstrates how Nature-based Solutions can enhance biodiversity, improve public spaces and strengthen connections between people and nature.

Working across disciplines, the project provides a shared vision for a healthier, more resilient and better-connected future for Carrick-on-Shannon.