PHOTO EXHIBITION LAUNCHED ON MARKET ST PLANS
Photo exhibition launched on Market St plans
BY AUSTIN LYNCH
OMAGH photographer, Donny McGale has just put on display an extended photo essay chronicling how Lower Market Street has been redeveloped and regenerated in recent years. The exhibition entitled 'Restoring Omagh's Heritage the regeneration of Market Street', charts how Market Street has been redeveloped and redesigned between January 1994 and today.
The exhibition was officially launched in the Gallery of Omagh's Tourist Information Centre by Kevin O'Gara, Chairman of Omagh Heritage Initiative Company Ltd earlier this week. The Omagh Heritage Initiative was formed in March 1998 with the aim of helping to recreate a new vision and to rebuild the heritage of the Market Street area.
The devastation caused by the Omagh bomb in 1998 sharpened their focus a great deal bringing together representatives from Omagh businesses, the community sector, Omagh District Council and statutory bodies into an initiative called 'Omagh Renewal and Beyond'. The reconstruction of the town centre was actioned as one its the key tasks, and the Heritage Initiative was charged with managing the funds.
The Board of Omagh Heritage Initiative applied and were successfully awarded �900,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Another �125,000 was secured from Department of the Environment Conservation section. This funding has been provided to support the architectural refurbishment and redevelopment of properties with a high heritage merit on Market Street. This funding must be spent within a five year time frame finishing in June 2004, and to date most of this has been committed.
This exhibition contrasts how the individual properties, and the Market Street area looked back in January 1994 with how they look today. Mr McGale has taken exterior photographs of each of the eleven properties that have benefited from the funding as well as interior photographs of each of the current businesses.
For every property, there are two or three images on display, showing how the buildings looked eight years ago and as they look today from the same angle. In addition, information is provided about each premises such as the owner of the building, current tenant's and a history of the building. The current photographs have been taken within the past six weeks.
For the Community House, there are several pictures of the construction work in progress as well as colourful architectural elevations showing how the building will look when completed from both inside and out.
Also on display are artists impressions of how the entire street, from both sides, will look once all the redevelopment has taken place.
Talking about the scheme, Mr McGale was confident that things were going in the right direction for the town. 'I hope the exhibition will be a great success and it will get people thinking about what the town will look like when the redevelopment has been completed,' he said.
Also present at the launch was Primrose Wilson, Chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund's NI Committee who said, 'the Heritage Lottery Fund is very pleased to be involved in the Omagh Townscape Heritage Initiative. Judging by what we have seen of the project to date it is clear it will prove a long term as set to the town and the community. All those involved are to be congratulated on its success thus far.'
BY AUSTIN LYNCH
OMAGH photographer, Donny McGale has just put on display an extended photo essay chronicling how Lower Market Street has been redeveloped and regenerated in recent years. The exhibition entitled 'Restoring Omagh's Heritage the regeneration of Market Street', charts how Market Street has been redeveloped and redesigned between January 1994 and today.
The exhibition was officially launched in the Gallery of Omagh's Tourist Information Centre by Kevin O'Gara, Chairman of Omagh Heritage Initiative Company Ltd earlier this week. The Omagh Heritage Initiative was formed in March 1998 with the aim of helping to recreate a new vision and to rebuild the heritage of the Market Street area.
The devastation caused by the Omagh bomb in 1998 sharpened their focus a great deal bringing together representatives from Omagh businesses, the community sector, Omagh District Council and statutory bodies into an initiative called 'Omagh Renewal and Beyond'. The reconstruction of the town centre was actioned as one its the key tasks, and the Heritage Initiative was charged with managing the funds.
The Board of Omagh Heritage Initiative applied and were successfully awarded �900,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Another �125,000 was secured from Department of the Environment Conservation section. This funding has been provided to support the architectural refurbishment and redevelopment of properties with a high heritage merit on Market Street. This funding must be spent within a five year time frame finishing in June 2004, and to date most of this has been committed.
This exhibition contrasts how the individual properties, and the Market Street area looked back in January 1994 with how they look today. Mr McGale has taken exterior photographs of each of the eleven properties that have benefited from the funding as well as interior photographs of each of the current businesses.
For every property, there are two or three images on display, showing how the buildings looked eight years ago and as they look today from the same angle. In addition, information is provided about each premises such as the owner of the building, current tenant's and a history of the building. The current photographs have been taken within the past six weeks.
For the Community House, there are several pictures of the construction work in progress as well as colourful architectural elevations showing how the building will look when completed from both inside and out.
Also on display are artists impressions of how the entire street, from both sides, will look once all the redevelopment has taken place.
Talking about the scheme, Mr McGale was confident that things were going in the right direction for the town. 'I hope the exhibition will be a great success and it will get people thinking about what the town will look like when the redevelopment has been completed,' he said.
Also present at the launch was Primrose Wilson, Chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund's NI Committee who said, 'the Heritage Lottery Fund is very pleased to be involved in the Omagh Townscape Heritage Initiative. Judging by what we have seen of the project to date it is clear it will prove a long term as set to the town and the community. All those involved are to be congratulated on its success thus far.'
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1025
Published Date: 23-May-02
Related Images
