Mr Denis Malone
Senior Planner
Kilkenny County Council
County Hall
Kilkenny
Email; ourplan@kilkennycoco.ie
RE: Submission to the Draft Thomastown Local Area Plan 2019
Dear Mr. Malone
Thank you for affording the opportunity to make observations on the Draft
Thomastown Local Area Plan 2019.
We make this submission on behalf of James and Mary Brennan of Cloghala, Dungarvan who are the owners of much of the area included in the ‘Masterplan 1 Lands,’ Ladyswell Street to Sheephouse Lane as depicted in Figure 11.2 of the Draft Plan.
We note Objective MP01.1 of the Draft Plan is “to prepare a masterplan for the lands west of Ladyswell Street in co-operation with relevant stakeholders, and to actively secure the implementation of these plans and the achievement of the specific objectives including the delivery of a high quality pedestrian/cycle route to the train station.”
As stakeholders, the Brennans confirm they will be willing participants in the formulation of the masterplan for their lands and as a sound basis for the Masterplan, James & Mary Brennan support the zoning of 3.7 Ha of their lands at Ladyswell Street for new residential development.
We note that the Masterplan 1 Lands take in areas that are zoned Mixed Use, New Residential, Open Space/Biodiversity Conservation and Agriculture. James & Mary Brennan request that the extent of these individual zones should be revised in two instances in order to make the achievement of the objectives of the Draft Plan more likely and in order to have regard to the practicalities of using the Agriculture zoned land for tillage farming.
The Brennan’s observations relate to;
•Their existing farm buildings and farmyard off Ladyswell Street which fall within the zoning Open Space/Biodiversity Conservation. (Area A on Figure 1 attached)
•The area of land between the Health Centre site and Grennan College which is zoned Agriculture. (Area B on Figure 1 attached)
Area A: Existing farm buildings and farmyard off Ladyswell Street (Ref. Figure 1) Due to the acute geometry of the lane from Ladyswell Street, it has been difficult to access the farmyard by road since the introduction of the one-way traffic system in Thomastown.
The line of the new road from Ladyswell Street into the masterplan lands is now marked out and construction is about to commence. Ref. Photos 6 & 7.
Embankments will be formed down to the level of the new junction with Ladyswell Street and this will make the north gateway to the farmyard inaccessible.
The disused farm buildings, which are only partly visible from Ladyswell Street at the moment, (Ref. Photo 1) will be very prominent along the new road to the Health Centre and the new housing and will edge the pedestrian footpath and cycleway to the train station. Ref. Photos 2,3,4 & 5.
We consider the zoning of the farmyard (Area A) for open space / biodiversity conservation will not encourage the improvement or redevelopment of the farmyard or the avoidance of dereliction and securing these redundant and potentially dangerous structures which will became a heavy burden on the Brennans.
Furthermore, the strip of land extending westwards from the farmyard, along the new access road, is too narrow (c. 25m) to farm due to the width of modern farm equipment and the wide sweep required to turn the machinery. Ref. Photo No.7
Therefore, James & Mary Brennan request that the area to the south of the new access road into the masterplan lands be zoned for Mixed Use. This would present the opportunity to replace the redundant and unviable farm buildings at the entrance to the masterplan lands with a “gateway” development which can address Ladyswell Street and the new road in a fitting manner and which can incorporate a well landscaped pedestrian footway and cycle path along its frontage. Ref. Figure 2; Indicative Site Layout.
Area B: Land between the Health Centre site and Grennan College (Ref. Figure 1)
Area B will also be difficult to put into tillage after the Health Centre and the new residential lands are developed. Ref. Photo No.8
We note an Objective for the Masterplan 1 lands is to include “a range of house types including older persons houses”. James & Mary Brennan consider that Area B would be well suited to the provision of housing for the elderly or indeed a nursing home and the benefits of overlooking a school to the mental and physical wellbeing of the elderly are well acknowledged.
Therefore, James & Mary Brennan request that the adjacent Mixed Use or New Residential zonings be extended to include Area B pending the formulation of the masterplan by the Planning Authority.
Yours sincerely,
CORMAC O’SULLIVAN
Architect/Planner
BLUETT & O’DONOGHUE ARCHITECTS