Politics « Thurles Information

Funding Approved For Flood Mitigation Works At Holycross, Thurles.

The Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Mr Patrick O’Donovan, has announced the approval of Tipperary County Council’s application under the Office of Public Works’ Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme.

Under this scheme, the Office of Public Works (OPW) has approved funding of €77,400 to construct a new, 315-metre-long surface water storm drain, including manholes, chambers and civils works, with outfall to existing open drain at Holycross, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

The Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme was introduced by the Office of Public Works back in 2009.

The purpose of the scheme is to provide funding to Local Authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative areas. The scheme generally applies where a solution can be readily identified and achieved in a short time frame.

Under the scheme, applications are considered for projects that are estimated to cost not more than €750,000 in each instance. Funding of up to 90% of the cost is available for approved projects. Applications are assessed by the OPW, having regard to the specific economic, social and environmental criteria of the scheme, including a cost benefit ratio.

Works that are normally the responsibility of the local authorities will generally not be considered for OPW funding. Where such works would also mitigate the risk of flooding to properties, partial funding may be considered by OPW.

The Local Authorities must be satisfied that the works will not have a significant impact on flood risk elsewhere.

The commencement and progression of any works, for which funding is approved, is a matter for each Local Authority concerned.

EPA Climate Change Lecture Series – The Role Of Communications In Driving Climate Action.

A Must View for all Elected Representatives in Co. Tipperary.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is delighted to welcome Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, founder and Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and a Senior Research Scientist at the Yale School of the Environment.

The public lecture will take place on tomorrow, Thursday 28th, at 7:15 pm at the EPIC Museum Dublin and will also be streamed online.

This lecture forms part of the National Dialogue on Climate Action.
Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz will consider the role of the public, consumers and political will as an enabler of climate actions.

While there is an ample supply of climate solutions to support the transition to climate neutrality and resilience, sufficient demand has been lacking. Drawing on recent international surveys, including here in Ireland, Dr. Leiserowitz will provide an overview of how changing public beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours can both compel and constrain climate action by governments, companies, and individuals.
Ms Laura Burke, EPA Director General said, “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, a leading international expert on public climate change and environmental beliefs, attitudes, policy preferences and behaviour, and also expert on the psychological, cultural, and political factors that shape them.
The EPA has worked closely with Dr. Leiserowitz and his team on our Climate Change in the Irish Mind study. This valuable project will help to understand how Irish people perceive this environmental challenge, and this can fundamentally change how we all communicate on the topic. The findings demonstrate that the Irish people overwhelmingly recognise the threat, feel personally affected by it and want to see real change.”
She further added
“Effective public engagement on climate action is essential as Ireland designs and implements actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all economic sectors by 51% by 2030”.

You can register for this free event HERE. The event will also be recorded and uploaded to the EPA YouTube channel, following this event.
You can also follow the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #ClimateLecture2022
Further information: Ms Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office 053-9170770 (24 hours) or media@epa.ie

Thurles Smart Lighting System Not All That Smart.

Back in September of 2021 we learned through Fianna Fáil Cllr. Mr Seamus Hanafin, (Cathaoirleach Thurles Municipal District council) that Thurles had been named as one of the areas chosen as a pilot for a ‘Smart Lighting Project’.

We were informed that over half a million Euro would be spent on these smart lights (40% of the overall cost) in Co. Tipperary and the aim following this expensive spend was to increase energy efficiency, thus saving money over the long term.

Tipperary County Council Engineers stated that they were convinced that by installing these lights, they would save about 60% of current energy usage; savings probably in the order of about €40,000 a year, to our public purse.

Did the EU sell Tipperary Co. Council a “pig in a poke?“

Well it now seems that these ‘Smart Lights’, here in Thurles at least, aren’t all that smart after all, and same now remain lighting day and night, without someone with the qualifications to turn the switch off.

So far, over the past at least 12 weeks, we have noted that between Thomond Road and Cathedral Street, travelling via the town park, some 15 of these street lights continue to burn the full 24 hours of each and every day.

Public lighting in Tipperary, before the recent 20% increase in energy costs, represented 38% of the council’s entire energy usage.
Now ask yourself, are you the public still happy to leave the public purse strings untied, as Tipperary Co. Council continues to waste our money, through their abysmal, substandard, administration?

Extension Of 5-year Multi Entry Short-Stay Visa Option To Visa Required Countries.

The Minister for Justice, Mrs Helen McEntee TD, has today announced the extension of the 5-year, multi entry, short-stay visa option to all visa required countries.

Announcing the change Minister McEntee stated: “The availability of 5-year multi entry short stay visas to eligible applicants from all visa required countries is a very positive measure. It will enable people who visit Ireland regularly, for business or family reasons in particular, to make one application, which when granted, will then cover travel over a five year period.
This will make travelling to Ireland a more convenient and attractive option at a time when travel worldwide is resuming and our tourism industry, in particular, is reopening following the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic.”

Up to now, Ireland has offered 1 year, 2 year and 3 year multi-entry visas, with the option of a 5 year multi-entry visa only available to Chinese passport holders (introduced in 2019). This eligibility has now been extended to all visa required countries.

In general, multi entry visas are only issued to an applicant who has shown a compliant Irish travel history. With the new changes being announced by the Minister today, people who have frequent travel to the UK, Schengen zone, USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, and have observed the conditions of those visas will also be able to apply for the option of a multi-year visa (of any duration from 1 to 5 years), even if they have no previous Irish travel history.

A multi entry visa may also be approved for some business travellers, under certain conditions, who have no previous travel history to Ireland.
A multi entry visa permits the holder to travel to Ireland on a number of occasions during the dates shown on the visa.
The standard single entry visa option also remains available.
As with all visa applications, the granting of a multi-entry visa is at the discretion of the relevant Visa Officer.

Prior to this announcement, the majority of short stay visa applicants could apply only for a maximum of a 3 year multi entry visa.

For a person with no previous travel history to Ireland, a multi entry visa may be approved in circumstances where the person:

Needs to travel regularly to Ireland on short visits for business meetings.
While in Ireland on business, needs to travel to another country, returning to Ireland for further meetings, or onward travel, or is travelling to and from another country, via Ireland.

Current visa fees
Single entry – Short stay ‘C’ visa = €60.
Multiple entry – Short stay ‘C’ visa = €100.

Biodiversity Destruction On Thurles Lady’s Well & Double Ditch Walkways Criticized.

Destruction of Biodiversity on the Thurles Lady’s Well Right-of-Way & now destroyed Double Ditch Right-of-Way, are being denounced in Social Media threads. The threads begun by Thurles.Info and carried by @ThurlesHour demonstrate the growing feelings of lovers of our local environment and the distrust of County Councils and their officials.

Some of the remarks hereunder posted on Twitter by other people.

“County councils across Ireland don’t seem to ‘get’ nature.”

“Thurles Municipal District council got funding to design, secure planning & construct a river walk from Thomond Road to Turtulla. Landowner consent was not forthcoming. They decided to spend the money asap – removing all trees, laying down tarmac on the route of the Double Ditch!”

**Biodiversity & Heritage Destroyed By Tipperary County Council & Irish National Parks and Wildlife Service**, **Without Any Local Consultation**.

“Local authority greenway. No environmental oversight. Asphalt laid up to river. Token 2m buffer. Chain-link/welded mesh fencing down the side to ensue no critters pass.
Eventually all these will need to be taken out, and the riverbanks restored.”

“Greenways are like a lottery win for quarry owners.”

“Wrecking the place.”

“What would a riverside greenway look like if it were ecologically sound? Is there an acceptable set back distance or preferred material?”

“This is happening along any path that is designated a Greenway.”

Thurles.Info now asks WHY?

Meanwhile: Attempts to contact Malcolm Noonan’s Office via email [Mos MOS@housing.gov.ie via mail3.itservices.gov.ie & malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie], between Sat, 22nd August 2020, and Thursday, 24th February, 2022, and on numerous other recorded occasions, fell on deaf ears. Currently staff at his constituency address; The Parade, Co. Kilkenny, do not even answer phone calls.
In the past two years despite numerous attempts we have received only two “Automated Email Replies” from his office.

A Chara,
Automatic reply: Destruction of Thurles Heritage
Thank you for contacting the departmental office of Malcolm Noonan, T.D., Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform.
Your email will be reviewed and a response will issue in due course, should one be required.
Le gach dea-ghuí,
Malcolm Noonan
Office of the Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform

Our dealings with Mr Eamon Ryan TD have been equally ignored. Again we were sent 1 Automatic reply on Wed, 6th April 2022 and 4 on Mon, 11th April, despite being contacted only once, on each of the afore mentioned dates by myself. (So 4 staff opened it and decided to ignore the content.)

Automatic reply: Destruction of Thurles Heritage
A chara,
Many thanks for your email. As I am sure you can appreciate, I receive a large volume of emails on a daily basis. Your issue is important to me and myself or one of my team will be back to you as soon as possible.
In the meantime, if you have a query relating to the below areas, you might find the following email addresses helpful:
Matters related to Dublin Bay South constituency: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
Matters related to the Dept of Environment, Climate, Communications networks: minister.ryan@decc.gov.ie
Eamon Ryan TD
Minister for Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport.

Despite our email communications being civil, we have never spoken or received even one, single, reply from staff at Mr Eamon Ryan’s department.
We did explain our problem on one occasion to a member of Mr Malcolm Noonan’s, Kilkenny Staff, who confirmed that they had received my emails in the past, but could not explain why they were not replied too.

Meanwhile, our dealings with staff at National Parks and Wildlife Service were equally disappointing.
Early communications stated from NPWL stated, “Please note that if these works are part of development covered by planning permission then they are exempt from Section 40 of the Wildlife Act. John will update you on his findings in due course.”

Then NPWS service claimed they granted verbal permission to Tipperary Co. Council in late February on the grounds it was a road or other structure. Quote “However, it should also be noted that the clearance of vegetation in the course of road or other construction works or in the development or preparation of sites on which any building or other structure is intended to be provided is exempted under Section 40.”

The truth is, there was No Road; No new Construction Works; No other new structures; just a small, yet valuable piece of 176 year old Thurles Heritage.

National Parks and Wildlife Service have further confirmed that because of “work stress”, they had forgotten to recognise the Mill Road address we had reported and identified in relation to breaches of Sect 40 of the Wildlife Act. Thus when asked for documentation they then confirmed, quote: –
(A) “Communication between Tipperary County Council and a named Wildlife Ranger was only verbal, there is no written documentation.“
(B) “Any written communication between Tipperary County Council and the builder is in their possession, National Parks and Wildlife Service do not have same.”
(C) “Furthermore any request for such information needs to follow the AIE process.“
[Latter AIE referred to is “Access to Information on the Environment”]

“Our heritage is what we have inherited from the past, to value and enjoy in the present, and to preserve and pass on to future generations.
In helping shape our identity, our heritage becomes part of what we are. Our expression of this identity shows others what we value; it highlights our values and priorities.
Our heritage provides clues to our past and how our society has evolved. It helps us examine our history and traditions and enables us develop an awareness about ourselves.
It helps us understand and explain why we are the way we are.”

The above are not my words but the words of the Irish Heritage Council, See HERE .

Then this evening, April 20th 2022, out of the blue, we received an email in pdf format.
Yes, readers I fool you not, after almost two years of waiting, it arrived from staff at Minister Malcolm Noonan’s Office, set in the form of a standardised letter, sent with the permission of Ms Danielle McDonnell, (Private Secretary to Minister Malcolm Noonan T.D.); signed by a person in his constituency office in Co. Kilkenny, latter yet another member of staff authorised to act on behalf of the same Ms Danielle McDonnell.

Mr Noonan’s almost two year old delayed communication read.
Dear Mr. Willoughby,
On behalf of Mr. Malcolm Noonan, T.D. Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, I wish to refer to your emails regarding the removal of a hedgerow by Tipperary County Council at Mill Road, Thurles.
The works in question were carried out to facilitate the upgrade of an existing pathway. In this instance the National Parks and Wildlife Service are satisfied that these works did not constitute a breach of Section 40 of the Wildlife Act.
Yours sincerely,
P.P. Danielle McDonnell (Private Secretary to Minister Malcolm Noonan T.D.).

Remarkably, Minister Malcolm Noonan’s dictated communication, failed to explain in his long awaited communicated, why Tipperary Co. Council and builders were given permission to destroy irreplaceable Thurles history, which as we previously stated, was a certain sure attraction for foreign and domestic tourism.

Same has been destroyed despite every Irish Government department; Elected Tipperary Politician and double jobbing Local Councillor, being warned exactly what was going to happen, since 2019.

So, Minister Noonan, I totally reject your recent delayed communication. I continue to seek your explanation as to why, based on historic evidence (See page 6) and a falsified Archaeological Impact Statement, that two Green Party politicians; namely you Sir and Mr Eamon Ryan failed to communicate; to fully investigate this piece of Thurles heritage and now choose to protect the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Service?

According to the Heritage Council, Quote “An important part of their work is to encourage local communities to take responsibility for and participate in the development and conservation of their heritage.
Such projects help generate a greater sense of pride and belonging in the local area through increased participation…and sheer enjoyment!
Cultural tourism and activity holidays on our natural landscapes and countryside continue to grow, outperforming all other tourism sectors.”

Both of you gentlemen must now reply to the question being asked, WHY?