THOMASTOWN LAP 2019 SUBMISSION
For the attention of Mr.Denis Malone Senior Planner
Ms. Amy Granville Planner
FROM ANTHONY HOYNE
OLD AGE FRIENDLY
Identify suitable sites within the town core to develop for dwellings for the Old Age Friendly cohort.
HERITAGE
To encourage and guide a forum to collect Local Place Names and local Anglised place names from the origonal Gaelic.
Sandstone and Limestone Masonry
Affect a survey to locate and fully record the rich display of Sandstone and Limestone Stonework masonry skills, as demonstrated in the many walls in buildings, boundaries, and ancient roadway delineation.
To identify and map the medieval road network.
To identify the local Quarry Stone sources and record for posterity.
To identify ancient Potable Water sources and Wells not recorded to date similar to Pyne’s Well on Station Road and The Fountain opposite the local county council offices.
Create conditions to protect ancient walls, stonework such as the Medieval Town Wall remnants and others that are readily identifiable.
River Freight Boats
The design of “Wherrys” the river freight craft since the towns incorporation has been established,
and a proposal to reconstruct an example of one or two of these crafts is put in train for educational and to spur development of a new river tourism based offering.
Jerpoint Abbey
There are significant original abbey infrastructural features not officially or archaeologically recorded , as no significant work has been carried out at the abbey for many years as has been successfully carried out in English, Welsh, Portuguese and French Cistercian abbeys in the past 20 years. A successful outcome to this new survey will greatly enhance a fuller knowledge of the abbey and add immeasurable international recognition. The tourism product would be greatly enhanced
with this development.
TOURISM OFFERING REBOOT
A concerted effort combining local, administrative and national body’s to come together to examine and prepare a 20 year strategy to reboot , refine and develop the tourism package features to promote long term local economic sustainability.
NORE NAVIGATION
Commence a strategy to develop a viable Nore Navigation from Inistioge Quay to the Quay and Sweetmans Castle beside the bridge. Suitable low draft electrically powered river pleasure craft are available to navigate the low water summer conditions.
Consideration is given to the development of an Embankment behind Low Street as a walkway and forming a part of a flood defence, and linking with a boardwalk on the full length of the Quay.
RIVERSIDE HERITAGE BUILDINGS
As part of the Tourist Product reboot, long term planning and consideration be given to the relaunch and new usage of these buildings which could form part of the Nore navigation product or become live exhibits demonstrating life and commerce in the town over the centuries.
This type of development has been successfully carried out in Heritage sites in Italy, France Germany etc.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
The reservoir of folk,historic,social knowledge to be recorded and preserved for future generations ,as each passing year with the passing on of the older generation, robs the future generations of their roots and posterity.
This submission by its nature is only a summary observation.
Anthony Hoyne