CashelBurgh Ai

Preliminary Ai Evaluation of Theoretical Masterplan for ‘CashelBurgh’ Town Quarter – 2025 ( by Grok 3 )

Notional Masterplan Proposal for Cashel Town – Potential Layout 1

A Hypothetical / Paper Exercise in re-Imagining the Rock of Cashel and its immediate surroundings, as the Centerpiece of a much larger town – to become over time, more like a mini version of Bath city or Edinburgh.

The Proposal compromises a series of ‘Vistas’ or ‘Grand Boulevards / Avenues’ orientated toward the Rock of Cashel. New Streets would be formed with building heights typically ranging from 3 to 5 storeys. The arrangement of the Public Realm / Spaces are envisaged to be similar in character / ambience to those of Bath City or Edinburgh, UK.

The Lands to the immediate north of the Rock of Cashel are designated by Tipperary County council as an area of high visual amenity and so are protected from ad hoc development as the experience of this type of ‘planning’ in recent decades has proven to be extremely damaging in many instances. However one can also take the view that large swathes of cities / towns can and should be Planned successfully in advance as was the case 150-200 years ago. Edinburgh for example grew outward from the Castle Rock into one of the world’s most loved cities due in no small part to the planning of surrounding buildings and streetscapes.

The Rock of Cashel, iconic in its historic significance, possesses the most impressive cluster of medieval buildings in Ireland. The population of Cashel at under 5000 is however a little at odds with the significance of its historical Monuments. The current development plan acknowledges that the town needs to grow in population terms and suggests that it might be desirable to have some future development to the west north west and east north east of the Rock of Cashel whilst maintaining the undeveloped large swathe of green open space to the immediate north.
This outcome would however likely result in ‘more of the same’ ad hoc planning with no addition of anything noteworthy. Perhaps whatever opportunity there may be to grow Cashel actually lies in the careful forward planning of an exemplary town quarter directly focused on the Medieval Cluster with the confidence demonstrated by town planners in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Cashel Spur Railway Station. The Line once connected Cashel to the Cork – Dublin Railway Line via Goolds Cross.
Wiki commons File No. 74 (8449268749). File Source : The Lawrence Collection, National Library of Ireland. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/No._74_%288449268749%29.jpg

Preliminary Concept Analysis / Evaluation using Ai (Grok 3 Beta)