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With Irish Water intending to brief TD’s and Senators today, in Dublin’s Buswell’s Hotel, on their final details of its €1.2 billion project to pipe water from the river Shannon to Dublin; there is likely to be intense local opposition to the plans from rural farming groups and local residents.
Oireachtas members have today been invited to a presentation on the final preferred route, understood to stretch from the Parteen Basin through counties Tipperary and Offaly to Peamount in South Co. Dublin. The project to pipe water from the river Shannon to Dublin is aimed at supplying some 330 million litres to our capital city. Irish Water confirm this same supply on a daily basis would be the equivalent in size to the capacity of 125 Olympic size swimming pools, with same including not just a drinking supply, but also water for necessary industrial requirements.
Calls to repair the existing leakages to conserve water, estimated at 40% of Dublin’s current existing supplies within the city’s existing infrastructure, have being dismissed as being insufficient to meet future need, with the population of the greater Dublin area expected to rise from 1.5 million presently, to an estimated 2.1 million by 2050.
Compensation to the ESB is expected to cost the State about €1 million a year for their lost generating capacity, while compensation to land owners; required to grant a 50m wide way-leave for construction, to in future become a 20m way-leave when completed, has not been fully estimated, but will be negotiated with representative organisations, including angling bodies, tourism interests, the Irish Farmers Association and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, using the existing methodology which currently applies when compensating those inconvenienced by gas pipeline construction.
Those opposed to the project claim that construction of this project is simply the building of a piece of infrastructure which, in the future, developed as a State asset, will be sold off to yet another foreign ‘Vulture Fund’.
 Michael Lowry TD Five Tipperary towns and villages are to benefit from the ‘Town and Village Renewal Scheme’, same announced some time ago by the Fine Gael TD and Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
Having made strong representations to Minister Humphreys on behalf of all applications put forward from Tipperary Co. Council; Michael Lowry TD today welcomed the inclusion of the towns and villages across Tipperary, included as part of this renewal scheme.
Welcoming the funding, the Tipperary Independent TD stated, “This funding awarded to these five towns and villages in Tipperary will be used for a number of different projects, already identified by Tipperary Co. Council and in consultation with local Councillors and active Community Groups. This rural funding will greatly assist in projects such as improving footpaths, public plazas, visual landscaping and the enhancement of tourism amenities”.
As stated; a total of five towns and villages across Tipperary are to benefit, with €380,000 in total having been awarded to the following individual urban areas.
Tipperary Town will get €97,500 for the enhancement of the ‘Centre Plaza Project’ in the town.
Borrisokane will receive €97,500 to be spent on ‘Street and Pavement Enhancement’.
Carrick-on-Suir will benefit to the tune of €47,500 for ‘Landscaping and Development of a Public Plaza’.
Cahir will also receive €97,500 for the enhancement of ‘Public Toilet facilities’.
Templemore will receive €40,000 as part of its ‘Landscape Development Plan’.
This funding, drawn down, will meet up to 85% of the total cost of each of the projects identified.
In welcoming the funding Deputy Lowry stated, “This ‘Renewal Scheme’ funding will play a vital roll in the advancement of identified projects chosen for investment under this overall scheme”.
 The partially constructed and then abandoned hotel site situated on the old road to Thurles, west of Urlingford village. An area on the Tipperary / Kilkenny border on the west side of Urlingford; currently the site of a partially constructed and later abandoned hotel, is to be demolished to create a new nursing home.
The demolition work on completion, will soon make way for a new €5 million, 85 bedroomed nursing home.
Following years of campaigning, on what can only be described as a monstrous blot on the landscape, this skeleton construction is to be demolished over the coming weeks, providing employment for some 50 construction workers over a 12 to 18 month period.
Work on the new development is expected to begin before the end of November, following the granting of planning permission to Blockstar Building Ltd, C/o Ray Connolly, Fire and Risks Solutions Ltd, Crosshaven, Co. Cork.
We understand that this new promising nursing home facility will be known as the ‘Blackstone Nursing Home’ and is expected to employ local people, subject to the necessary skills being found available.
This area, situated on the old road between Thurles and Urlingford, was decimated since the opening of the Dublin-Cork motorway and the bypassing of both named towns. To add further insult to injury, this current partially constructed eyesore, then became yet one more victim to Ireland’s economic crash.
Refresh Thurles – Tidy Towns Group Annual General Meeting (AGM) for 2016 will be held on Tuesday night next, October 11th, at 8.00pm in the ‘Commercial Room’ of Hayes Hotel, in Thurles.
This year’s National Tidy Towns Competition; generously sponsored for the past 25 years by SuperValue (part of the Musgrave Group), saw Thurles marked under Category E, and receiving 285 marks out of a possible total of 450.
Please find full ‘Adjudication Report’ (Thurles. Ref 627, in Alpha Order), HERE
 Marks given by National Tidy Towns Judges in respect of Thurles Town, following their 2016 adjudication. The local Thurles Tidy Town Committee have some new projects in the pipeline, for discussion at Tuesday’s AGM, that should contribute to the towns continuing upward trend of results in this competition. They point out that the National Winner in 2016 had just 327 marks, so winning this Competition should be seen as realistic and an achievable objective for Thurles into the future.
Thurles Tidy Town Committee would like particularly to acknowledge and thank, most sincerely, everyone over the past year, who contributed to making Thurles Town attractive; a nice place to live and indeed an exceptionally nice place to visit.
Please do remember that the Thurles Tidy Towns Annual General Meeting will take place on October 11th at 8.00pm in Hayes Hotel and please do make an effort to attend this important community meeting.
‘Thurles Community Estates’ and ‘Streetscape Competition’ winners
Meanwhile the Local ‘Thurles Community Estate’ winners for 2016 were recently announced. This year’s adjudication came courtesy of a qualified landscape architect, latter now working in the area of Community Development. Same adjudication will lead to each estate receiving professional advice on how to improve various aspects of their particular immediate area.
Thurles Estate Winners 2016
The names of the Winners and full Adjudicated Results are shown as follows:
Large Estate – Moyne Road Bellevue, Thurles, – 95%
Medium Estate – Hazelwood, Dublin Rd, Thurles, – 91%
Small Estate – Windsor Grove, Dublin Rd, Thurles – 82%
Following adjudication, each winner will now receive a prize of €200 to fittingly reinvest in their community areas.
Alas, there were no entries in the ‘Streetscape Competition’ this year; nevertheless this competition will again run in 2017, with a late May closing date. Refresh Thurles look forward to more estates and streets entering next year.
A survey carried out by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) has ranked Thurles as being in joint 24th position out of some 40 towns / cities surveyed in their recent report and declared our town as being “Clean to European Norms.” Thurles was the only Tipperary town included in this recent listing.
Overall Survey Summary
 Thurles Town – “Clean to European Norms.” Some of the top ranking sites surveyed in Thurles included Cathedral Street and the new Thurles Town Public Car Park adjacent to the Source Theatre and Thurles Leisure Centre.
These latter two sites were not just clear of litter, but were described as “very well presented and maintained”. According to IBAL, there were no seriously littered sites in Thurles, but warned that care needed to be taken at River Walk beside the Source Theatre, to “prevent it from further deteriorating”.
On a less positive note, they found that the Tesco Service and Loading Area was somewhat littered with plastic wrapping and cardboard boxes, but acknowledged that these materials were very much associated with the store itself, rather than through any littering by the general public.
Judges Actual Report Based On Each Of the Areas Examined
Aldi Supermarket Site: Grade A. This site got the top litter grade, but only just. The overall impression was of a very clean environment with car park surface, ornamental trees etc. all in good order.
Cathedral Street: Grade A. An excellent site, with all aspects of the area surveyed in very good order e.g. paving, road markings and surface, street signage, bins, bollards and ornamental trees. There was a complete absence of litter throughout.
Liberty Square: Grade A. Liberty Square was in very good order. Despite heavy volumes of traffic and car parking it was clear of litter. There were some lovely ‘olde’ style street lamps and many of the premises were very nicely presented. Not all premises were in good order but thankfully these ones didn’t become a magnet for litter, as can so easily happen.
N62 Horse and Jockey Cashel Road: Grade A. A very good route leading into Thurles, creating a positive first impression of the town. The road surface, signage and markings were all in good order and there was an absence of litter throughout.
Public Car Park adjacent to Source Theatre & Thurles Leisure Centre: Grade A. An excellent site throughout. Not only was it completely clear of all litter but it was exceptionally well presented and maintained. The paving was very fresh and clean and the area was enhanced by planting and ornamental trees.
College Green and Beechwood Lawns: Grade B. There was a definite litter presence in this residential area. While the communal grass areas had been freshly cut it was let down by food related litter. There were heavy levels of graffiti on one wall area.
N75 Approach from M7 to Cathedral Street: Grade B. Much of this route was in good order, but it was let down by some isolated areas which were littered e.g. the entrances to some fields and premises on the perimeter of the town.
Thurles to Portlaoise N75 – M7 Connecting Road: Grade B. The overall presentation and maintenance of this connecting road was excellent, with freshly cut grass verges and signage etc. in very good order. Unfortunately it was let down by some food related litter, particularly on the passenger side of the car.
Tesco Service and Loading Area: Grade B. The litter at this site was primarily plastic wrapping and cardboard.
River Walk beside Source Theatre: Grade B. The adjacent Source Theatre is excellent and litter free. However, there was notable litter trapped at the promenade area beside the river at the bridge nearby – perhaps the area is difficult to clean but it will only deteriorate further if not addressed.
To all those who take on the responsibility of cleaning our town; “Well done” and a massive “Thank You” from everyone here in Thurles.
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