General

The Chief Executive and Members,

Kilkenny County Council,

County Hall,

Kilkenny.

Re: Submission to Thomastown Local Area (LAP) 2019 – 2025.

A Chara,

Following consideration of the Draft proposals I hope the following observations will be accepted as a positive contribution to the Council’s work on this new Plan. Please note that I am satisfied with these proposals in the listed chapters where I have omitted to comment.

Having served in a leadership role as Secretary of Thomastown Community Council, I hold a lifetime interest in the continued social, economic and cultural development this area and its hinterland. In that 1970’s period, the new parish council provided the most ambitious local community centre project ever undertaken. It also provided the Herbert Devoy Library building, which was gratus to Kilkenny County Council in 1978 to encourage the creation of initial county branch library services here.

As an extension of my active community participation in that period, I was privileged to receive wider support in becoming an elected member of Kilkenny County Council over a public-life period of 35 years. I include this information as a preamble to this submission only to indicate to County Council Members knowledge of the development continuity of Thomastown and it’s standing in our County. Hindsight makes me aware of both positive and negative results, contained in previous CDP’s.

The new Plan does recognise that Thomastown has experienced significant growth for the past 25 years. Unfortunately, this growth was not supported by necessary local infrastructural improvements. A belated central government investment in Thomastown for new water and water facilities in 1990’s enabled a number of welcome schemes of public/private housing. This also allowed for the building of a Garda Station and a much needed new Catholic co-ed primary school.

Members need to be aware of the disgraceful way Thomastown was denied participation in a civil service decentralisation project which resulted in the project finally locating in Kilkenny City. There are two issues here, historical leakage of jobs to the centre and the future use of the Health & Safety site. Objective MPO1.1; places the H&S site at the heart of future development in Thomastown, but the proposed policy text seems weak. Despite the commendable achievements of the previous Council to advance the R700 relief road project (MTO1.2) the Draft objective wording is also weak.

It is fair to acknowledge that boom-time development contributions assisted Kilkenny County Council to invest in a unique countywide school safety programme including Thomastown. With local consent it also provided the town with a one-way traffic system. A single carriageway system has transformed pedestrian protection throughout the town despite its centuries old limitations. My submission;

Section 3. The Vision for Thomastown

I would suggest the following Addendum SO10;

“Having regard for 2.2 (LOCATIONAL CONTEXT) acknowledging that Thomastown is a crossroads to so many traffic routes, it will be a strategic objective during the currency of this Plan to carry out improvements to enhance aesthetic values on town approach roads” .

4. Core Strategy & Zoning.

Second last paragraph is iffy?? To protect the public interest and integrity of the Plan I would suggest the following amendments, a) remove the words ‘seek to’ and b) replace the word ‘taken a’ with ‘an established policy of’.

5. Economic Development & Employment.

Replace ED.1; Enterprise and Economic Development Policy, with text ‘Recognising the State’s unfulfilled commitment to the town’s future wellbeing, its proximity to rail/motorway access to all principal airports and seaports, together with this Council’s committed policy of support for Thomastown’s sustainable economic development, that it will adapt a policy objective in this Plan to engage with Central Government with a view to bringing the State’s ownership and management of the former Health & Safety site into Local Government control in the public interest’.

Rearrange Objectives EDO. to achieve a priority title Addendum EDO1.1 ‘To support this policy and provide for implementation of this LAP’s core strategy commitment to this site as a key Masterplan one, in concert with its mixed zoning designation. (See also MTO1.5;)

Replace EDO1.3. Text with ‘To be prepared for possible EU membership issues with Member States and cognisance of Thomastown’s strategic location for regional distribution of goods using Rosslare, Dublin and Cork Ports, this Council will engage with State industrial investment agencies to promote industrial and warehousing development potential in Thomastown’.

Recognising the significantly positive role by Kilkenny County Council in the purchase and embryonic support for Grennan Mill Craft School in the 1980/90’s, I believe that the following addition of words ‘continue its’ to the text between the words ‘to and support’ appropriate to ACC1 – Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy.

8. Built and Natural Heritage

Jerpoint Abbey continues to attract national and European archaeological interest with a regular flow of direct tour groups and pedestrians (some using bus and train public transport). Its site perimeter is only divided by a mill stream from the medieval Oldtown. Although not located in the town proper, nevertheless, it is very much a special place for town dwellers. A relatively small investment in public lighting and footpath extensions from the town to the monuments should be considered in this Plan. ARCO1.2; Suggest addendum text ‘traffic friendly measures including infill public lighting and footpath extension between the town and Jerpoint Abbey will be examined”.

9. Movement and Transport

Adequate pedestrian protection has not kept up with the considerable new housing developments in Grennan, mainly occupied by couples with young families. Arising from this expansion and its consequently higher ratio of school-going children using this only route to schools shops etc., this Plan must urgently consider frontloading road safety solutions at this location. Consideration has to be given to providing pedestrian access from Mallfield and The Meadows estates onto The Mall/Mill Street junction.

This will help to avoid a major pinch-point for pedestrians at the Mall. Safety questions also exist with the absence of footpath alignment and street crossing from there to the bridge. Indeed, to remove unsightly aspects of Mill Street as one of the main entries to our town a streetscape design and provision incorporating traffic calming, pedestrian crossing, footpath improvement for Mill Street extending to Friarshill, is long overdue. See 2nd paragraph of 9.3 Roads and Street Network.

Reference is also made in this chapter of the bridge, which has its own potential hazards coping with traffic weight and alignment issues, designed for a different era. It is an integral part “funnel” as stated in the Draft. Therefore, the Plan must not overlook the acute necessity, through planning control, to protect the wellbeing of those neighbourhoods south of the 18th century Bridge. This is a legacy issue mentioned in my preamble, where proper safety services have not yet caught up with residential development.

MTO1.2; Weak text. No real commitment or reference as to what tangible measures were made by Kilkenny County Council over the past number of years to advance this crucial issue. The previous Council ensured that all of the pre-contract measures were completed in 2014. It is a shovel ready project needing just a political will to deliver. I would therefore propose the following alternative text, ‘Aware that this Plan has identified the lack of progress with the proposed R700 relief road as an serious threat to people’s lives and to the town’s infrastructure, this Council will lobby central government to approve construction into its capital programme for early completion’.

10. Infrastructure & Environment

Again the Council’s draft Objectives are very weak in this paragraph. After successful lobbying central government on the MANs fibre broadband programme, Thomastown was selected as a pilot site for installation of a large investment in a town and environs underground network. However, on completion the Department of Communications copped out on its role “sell” the project through a third party. I suggest adding, IFO4.1 ‘To engage with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, seeking to have the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) unused high speed broadband network installed in Thomastown brought into use in the public interest’.

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Michael O’Brien