Cairnsfoot Fields Options and Masterplanning Study

Cairnsfoot Fields offers a significant opportunity for compact urban growth and regeneration on the eastern edge of Sligo Town. Commissioned by Sligo County Council, MOLA Architecture led a multidisciplinary team to consider development potential for approximately five hectares of Tier 1 serviced lands within the historic grounds of Cairnsfoot House.

The study explored how new residential neighbourhoods, community facilities and landscape infrastructure could be brought together to form a sustainable quarter grounded in its landscape setting. Analysis of policy, market demand and housing need, combined with stakeholder engagement and a structured options appraisal process, informed the testing of spatial arrangements, development intensity and delivery pathways.

The preferred spatial approach extends the town eastwards in a compact and well-connected form, taking advantage of proximity to schools, public transport, sports facilities and the planned Eastern Garavogue Bridge. A new internal street network, a sequence of planted avenues, neighbourhood greens and the retention of historic landscape features – including woodland and former garden walls – give structure, orientation and amenity to the emerging neighbourhood.

The framework accommodates a mix of housing types, public open space and community uses, aligning national compact settlement and regeneration objectives. The study positions Cairnsfoot Fields as a coherent extension of Sligo, capable of delivering sustainable homes and long-term place value for the town.