Environment « Thurles Information

Proposed Upgrade Of Loughtagalla Park, Thurles.

Proposed Upgrade Of Loughtagalla Park – Supported By Sicap Under Their Empowering Communities Action.

Ms Breada Ryan, Community Development Worker, North Tipperary Development Company Reports.

North Tipperary Development Company under their Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, in conjunction with Loughtagalla Residents Group, came together in 2018 to develop a 3–5 year plan. The first objective of this plan is to upgrade the facilities of their local park.

The main purpose of the project is to develop people and child friendly facilities, considering all age groups and in particular children and young people with intellectual, sensory, and special needs as well as the social needs of older people.

North Tipperary Development Company engaged the services of Ron de Brun of Silva Build Cork, to develop a set of Concept drawings for the upgrade of the park. To progress, NTDC decided to carry out a survey in July 2019 to get community agreement on the key priorities for the Loughtagalla area.

These survey findings identified plainly that the community very much welcomed the proposal to develop the park, which visualized a mixture of active and passive recreation areas, areas for quiet contemplation and more robust play, enhanced play equipment for younger children.

The provision of a sensory garden was supported to address issues of social inclusion and provide the first such garden for Thurles and its hinterland. The use of a modern form of design in the provision of equipment developed around the theme of biodiversity was another highly preferred option. All these ideas were considered to progress the design to the next stage.

Work has been continued behind the scenes by a dedicated subgroup to progress to the next stage, seeking planning permission for the development. A planning application was prepared and submitted in late summer to Tipperary County Council and permission was granted in late autumn of 2020.

During early 2021 a lot of work took place to prepare for a Request for Tender which was advertised on E- Tenders, latter the Irish Government’s electronic tendering platform administered by the Office of Government Procurement.

Concurrently the steering subgroup also assisted with material for a promotional video (See above) which was funded by the North Tipperary Development Company and co-ordinated by their SICAP Worker. This video completed in July 2021 will be used to support the Loughtagalla Park & Residents Committee fundraising activities to source the elocal contribution of €40,000.

Thurles Readers – Get Your Watering Cans Out!

It’s time for Thurles gardeners to get their watering cans out and their Factor 50+ on again, because Tipperary is set to enjoy an unexpected spell of warm September sunshine.

A warm plume of air is credited with bringing summer-like conditions to our shores this Autumn. From now until Wednesday, temperatures are set to hit highs of between 21 and 24 degrees Celsius.

Be sure and make the most of this dry spell, because it is not expected to stay with us for very long. Scattered outbreaks of rain, coming from the south, are set to hit us here in Co. Tipperary as early as Thursday next.

With Autumn leaves already starting to fall, this joyous bout of summer sunshine may be our last for many months.

All Soft Plastics Acceptable In Household Recycling Bins.

Currently here in Ireland we were recycling less than one third of all plastic packaging waste, but now all clean plastic packaging waste including black plastic sacks, all of which is soft plastic, can be placed in Ireland’s household recycling bins, together with the already acceptable more rigid plastic.

Same has come about due to advancements in technology at Irish recycling facilities, thus making waste segregation much more straight forward for every householder and service provider.

Ireland has been committed to increasing its plastic packaging recycling figure to 50% by 2025 and to 55% by 2030 and this announcement is observed as being a significant step towards achieving Ireland’s future targets.

Until now only hard plastics, such as plastic bottles and food trays, have been acceptable for recycling, however the emphasis with regards to soft packaging will be on the word “clean“.

Deposit scheme for plastic bottles and cans!

A long overdue deposit scheme for plastic bottles and cans will also be introduced next year and this will see a deposit charged for each can or bottle purchased, which is then refunded when the empty container is brought back to the retailer. Previously here on Thurles.Info we highlighted Ireland’s failure in this respect in April 2018.

Planning Granted By Tipp. Co. Co. For 24,500 Tonnes Waste Facility In Thurles, Appealed.

Tipperary County Council’s decision to grant planning permission for yet another “material recovery facility building”, in Thurles, as expected, has had a considerable number of appeals now lodged with An Bord Pleanála.

**Flooded & dishevelled looking entrance to Cabragh Business Park, at Ballycurrane, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.**

Ryan Cleaning Event Specialists Ltd, had lodged plans for such a facility and were granted permission, subject to 11 further conditions, by Tipperary Co. Council.

The former named Ltd Company had sought to construct the following:-
(a) one single storey material recovery and transfer facility building (of floor area 1031 m sq).
(b) a single storage detached prefabricated office building (floor area 60 m sq) with signage on both buildings.
(c) vehicular access to the site is via the as constructed existing entrance.
(d) a service yard with vehicle weighbridge and vehicle washing area with the site.
(e) on-site staff and visitor car parking and truck parking areas.
(f) all necessary ancillary site development works to facilitate this development with boundary treatment and landscaping.
(g) all associated site works consisting of petrol interceptor and silt traps and connection to existing septic tank and upgraded percolation area with all associated site works.

This facility was proposed for construction at the now visibly dishevelled looking Cabragh Business Park, at Ballycurrane, Thurles, situated close to several private housing estates and within meters of a vast area of preserved wetland habitats. Permission was initially applied for in February 2021 and because of planning application failures, again in July 2021.

The plans by Ryan Cleaning Event Specialists Ltd, have attracted a considerable number of submissions and observations by members of the public, many forced to reside in the vicinity; together with local material recovery competitors, e.g. Cabragh/Ballycurrane Residents Association, Garrett Leech, O’Callaghan Moran and Associates; Residents of nearby Caisleán Cuirt, Cabra Road, Thurles; David McCarthy; Pride Point Limited T/A Ryan Brothers Environmental, Mill Road Thurles; Killeenyarda Construction Limited, (latter who already use the Cabragh Business Park area for a similar 5,000 ton material recovery facility).

The case is due to be decided on, by An Bord Pleanála, before December 9th next 2021.

Parnell Car Park.

Meanwhile, speaking on the subject of “material recovery” refuse dumps; work has eventually begun to remove the eyesore created by Thurles Municipal District Council, begun some years ago in the Parnell car park, situated west of the town.
It was to this council fly tipping zone that the 34 road signs, so quickly removed by the local council from route R659 were brought to be disposed of.

However as stated, fly tipping by the council had been accumulating here, in this area for years, [see pictures marked A, B, and C above], demonstrating the further waste and disrespect shown for local taxpayers money.

A large skip has now been introduced to remove the paving bricks, various plastic road signs, plastic bollards, building rubble, plastic piping, cardboard, supermarket trolleys etc, etc, etc.

Picture D above, does show some of the progress so far, but no sign yet of the village pump and hand cut stone trough, which once graced the junction on Cathedral Street at co-ordinates 213117, 158760 Thurles.

Barney & Beakey’s Family Almost Ready To Travel.

**Just hatched**. *Photo: G. Willoughby*.

We wrote about a second clutch of 4 swallows being reared by “Barney” and “Beakey” some 15 days ago, soon after all their eggs hatched, on August 14th, 2021. Now 14 days later, look how they have grown, filling their second mud nest, on a diet of Thurles insects.

**Almost ready for the long road ahead**. *Photo: G. Willoughby*.

Swallows have been around on our planet for a very, very long time. A remark found in Aristotle’s (384BC–322BC) best-known work on ethics “Nicomachean Ethics” reads “one swallow does not a summer make”.

The play “Timon of Athens”, latter a sharp satire on wealth, greed and betrayal and written by William Shakespeare between 1605 and 1606, contains the phrase, “The swallow follows not summer more willing than we your lordship”.

On coming here to Thurles the swallow, in many cases, travels well over 6,500 miles from sub-Saharan Africa to spend the summer with us. They come to take advantage of our longer hours of daylight; our abundant sources of flying insects and the lack of other competition to their ‘on the wing’ food source. Were they to remain in their African winter-quarters, swallows would have to share their airspace with at least a dozen other related flying species.

Thus this small bird, that weighs less than an ounce (20 grams) is prepared to fly north-westwards, at great personal risk, to take advantage of our more temperate latitude, a classification we share with most of north-west Europe.

Swallows navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field; polarised light and visual landmarks, which incredibly allow them to return to the very same area here in Tipperary, where they were originally born.

Soon around mid-September of the current year, their return journey will take them back, south-eastwards, across the North Atlantic sea.
Since swallows feed entirely on flying insects, they don’t need to fatten up before departing, rather they will grab their food, on the wing, along their chosen flightpath; over their six week journey, covering up to 200 miles each day. They will, using day light, cross western Europe; breaking their journey, to drink or feed as they feel the need. They will congregate on headlands before taking flight to cross the Mediterranean Sea; then across the Sahara Desert; the jungles of equatorial Africa, until Table Mountain comes into their vision; thus signalling to each that they have at last reached the approximate vicinity of their wintering quarters.

Meanwhile, we here in Ireland are left bereft until next April. Watch them, enjoy them, while they are still around to be observed, in the knowledge and firm belief that “men may make plans, but God laughs”.