An exciting new public space has been opened on Bray's famous seafront in County Wicklow.

The new Strand Road Plaza features new seating, trees, planters and public lighting, as well as a shared space linking to the existing cycle route on both sides of the scheme. Further works included the widening of pedestrian areas using new paving materials, and the raising of road carriageway to control vehicle speeds and shorten crossing distances for pedestrians. 

Cathaoirleach of Bray Municipal District, Cllr Aoife Flynn Kennedy visited the site on Wednesday, 30 April, to officially open the new space.

Cllr Flynn Kennedy, Cathaoirleach, Bray Municipal District, commented: "This completed project has significantly enhanced the area and it has given people the opportunity to sit and relax; allows people to move about easily and comfortably between amenities, cafes, and businesses on both sides of Strand Road Plaza; provides a coherent connection between the footpaths and cycle tracks on either side and provides for outdoor café/restaurant seating and hosting public events.

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"This project has achieved what is set out in the Bray Local  Area Plan in the development of safe and accessible pedestrian and cycle routes. It is a job well done."

Anne Graham, Chief Executive Officer, National Transport Authority, added: "The Strand Road Plaza in Bray has presented a great opportunity for the NTA to work with Wicklow County Council on a project that both improves active travel access through the area and provides a link between two previously unconnected cycle facilities.

"It also focuses on place-making to ensure that the Strand Road Plaza is a key destination and a welcoming space at Bray Seafront. This project is just one of several hundred, not just in the Greater Dublin Area, but across the country, being funded by NTA as part of the overall plan to make cycling and walking easier and safer for more people."