Transport « Thurles Information

Submissions For Phase 2, Liberty Square Thurles Planning, Closed.

Some 20 submissions in total were forwarded to Tipperary Co. Council in reference to current plans submitted on the Phase 2 Liberty Square Public Realm Scheme. All submissions can be read in full by our readers, simply by accessing and scrolling down the page located at the LINK SHOWN HERE.

**Proposed Liberty Square West Layout** **(Phase 2**).

The closing time and date for all submissions closed at 4:30pm today, Friday August 30th, 2024.

No local resident consumers/shoppers made submissions or raised serious concerns about the planned designs for either Liberty Square or the several adjacent streets i.e. Rossa Street, Parnell Street, Nicholas Street (Cúchulainn Road) and Friar Street. Same have learned, from passed interactions with regards to such submissions sent to Tipperary Co. Council, that their opinions went unacknowledged and were rejected outright without discussion.

Parnell Street *(formerly New Street)* **at the junction *(right)* with** **Cúchulainn Road *(formerly Nicholas Street)*.**

In the main; Tipperary Co. Council now stand accused of failing to conduct detailed trials in respect of such planned changes to the town centre traffic flow and also of failing to fully consider the real impact of such proposed changes, on future ability of local businesses to continue to trade profitably.

Thurles.Info will be highlighting further failings, with regards Thurles planning issues, in the coming days.

3.4 Million Thurles Project Halted By Smallest Common Irish Bat Species.

Work on the new restaurant conversion in Thurles Park’s car park area, latter situated close to ‘The Source’ building in Cathedral Street, has temporally ground to a halt due to the presence of the Common Pipistrelle and Soprano Pipistrelle bat species.
Following a survey, ecologists have found that a small number of these Pipistrelles Bats, together with house sparrows were using the building.
Recent surveys indicate that since 2003 the soprano pipistrelle has increased significantly, while the common pipistrelle has also increased, albeit more slowly.

**Pic 1: The Pipistrelles Bat Species. Pic 2: Closed car park area with 8 year old landscaping including trees removed.**
*Pics: G. Willoughby*.

Construction work begun by the contractor has now been paused temporarily until a Derogation License can be issued by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Ireland remains listed under Annex IV of the EC (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations and as a result of this work, which could capture, kill, damage or destroy their roosts or disturb them at an important part of their life cycle, cannot take place without first obtaining a Derogation Licence. This licence is issued under Regulation 54 of the Regulations, and strict criteria must be met before such a licence can be fully approved.

The project being undertaken in the area had been expected to take 12 months to fully complete, at an estimated cost to the Irish taxpayer of €3.4M. Modification of the building in question will see a mid-19 century farm yard shed being converted into yet another 83 seater Thurles café, with a canopy planned to be erected over the open car park area, thus reducing current existing car parking from 49 to 33 spaces (including 2 disabled parking spaces).

The area had been totally revamped, at great expense, just 8 years ago. Same upgrade had included a partially bricked footpaths area, including steps, safety railings, flowerbeds and 10 X 4.5 metre (14.5 foot) high trees; latter fully planted with various shrubs, thus greatly enhancing this area.
All this landscaping has now been ripped up and removed (See Image above) and the car park closed for use by the public for 12 months, greatly affecting footfall within the town centre.

Vehicle Parking In Thurles Totally Neglected.

With the closure of the Thurles town car park beside ‘The Source’; parking for all vehicles used by persons attempting to do business or attend religious services in Thurles is now at a premium.

The car park rented by Tipperary Co. Council, situated south east of the Munster Hotel, for the past at least two years has 3 car parking spaces, unavailable due to a fallen tree.

The tree, latter a victim of a wind storm two years ago, luckily now hides a vast amount of litter, were Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) ever to come a calling.
See images hereunder.

**Litter permitted to congregate behind a fallen tree in Munster Hotel Car Park for past 2 years**.
*Pic. G. Willoughby*

Meanwhile; the people anxious and encouraged to attend Thurles Swimming Pool and Thurles Leisure Centre, latter erected by funding from local rate payers; the owners, managers and beneficiaries being Tipperary Co. Council, are forced to park on double continuous yellow lines, due to this aforementioned closure.

Speaking of Thurles Swimming Pool; to the rear of this building administration appears to be missing here also. It appears what isn’t readily on view to the public doesn’t exist. See images hereunder.

**Dumped filters, mats and cardboard strewn at rear of Thurles swimming pool.**
*Pic. G. Willoughby*.

Just a few metres away the large car park underneath ‘The Source’ building, remains closed to the public, since March 2020. Despite no public access, three cars were parked in this underneath car park today, possibly owned by persons working in the building.
However, the interior continues to show no effort is being made to repair the never completed ceiling insulation, torn down by the idle hands of vandals.

**Sad and deplorable state, for the past 4 year, of this never sealed interior ceiling insulation, pictured today** *(22/8/2024)***, from within *‘The Source’* car parking area .**
*Pic. G. Willoughby*.

One hastens to add, where was the CCTV supposedly operating in the area, when this same vandalism was in progress?
The time has come for either resignations or indeed sackings from within the Thurles Municipal Council official grouping, due to their inability to manage our town, allowing it to slide, headlong, downhill in a deafening silence.

The waste of taxpayers money continues.

Work To Re-design Thurles Now Moves To Robert Emmet Street.

Thurles.Info’s ‘Eye in the Sky’, swooped down to take a closer look this morning at the most recent re-designing of streets in Thurles.
Robert Emmet Street (often spelt ‘Emmett‘ situated immediately to the rear of Tesco) has been the scene of the latest attempts by a motorised vehicle to change the Thurles landscape.

**Badly damaged *‘Watery Mall’* Famine Wall**.
*Pic: G. Willoughby*.

This time the object of someone’s attention was the Great Famine 1847 stone river wall. This wall in recent years; during the Spring and Summer seasons, has successfully hidden the noxious weeds, the dumped plastic wrappers, the tin cans and the glass and plastic bottles.

**Biodiversity sign hidden by supposedly biodiversity during** **the** ***‘No Mow*** **`May`** *Ever’* season.
*Pic: G. Willoughby*.

I hasten to mention that this same wall has also hidden the inability of town officials to undertake the cutting of the grass and noxious weeds, which in turn grants cover to water rats, allowing them to frolic freely of an evening; and all in the name of biodiversity which of course includes every bacterium that makes up our natural world.

Does Thurles still needs a Ring Road before 2040 I ask?

HGV Re-designs Liberty Square’s 9 Week-Old Safety Railing.

On the week before the 2024 Local Elections (June 7th), the then existing crushed railing at the junction of Liberty Square and Slievenamon Road (N62) were replaced, with a somewhat frailer version of the same.

Well between ourselves, this replacement did stop those awkward door stop questions, as our double jobbing local councillors moved from door to door, canvassing for votes. There was always the hope that they could be re-elected and continue to re-offend, while receiving their €35,000 plus, annual salaries for doing and achieving f..k all.
And the voting public didn’t fail to fulfil their hopes and expectations. These same councillors would go on to draw back their lips in a show of amusement, with no evidence of any shyness, embarrassment, or shame, when all were once again re-elected, for another 5 years of indolence.

**August 13th 2024: HGV re-designs Liberty Square’s 9 week old new safety railing.**
*Pic: G. Willoughby.*

Today, August 13th, just a mere 9 weeks later, not surprising, disaster has struck once again. The design of this new junction railing has been totally adjusted by an 18.75m heavy goods vehicle (HGV). (See image above). The driver was happy to leave behind the gift of a mudguard from one of his rear wheels.

Please do read Proposed Liberty Square Layout Phase 2 again and weep.

It is interesting to note that according to the Road Safety Authority (RSA), a large Tractor Cab is permitted to tow two trailers and exceed 18.75m in overall length, but NOT in any town with a population exceeding 10,000 people. Here in Thurles, on our medieval streets, we meet at least 4 x 22m HGV’s on a daily basis, due to the constant failure by two resident politicians to acquire funding for a ring road.

The population of Thurles, (according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in 2022), stands at 8,185 and since then we have welcomed Ukrainian families (62 x 2 bed modular homes built within the town), latter fleeing their war-torn land, together with a large number of International Protection (IPAS) residents of all nationalities, into our midst. Add also recent births since 2022, a few tourists resident in two hotels, a large number of students currently residing in accommodation in the town, while attending our two 3rd level institutions.

While each of these additional variables, inclusive of the official CSO population number of 8125, may not yet put the town directly in the category of 10,000 persons (not just yet), responsible and considerate mitigation and planning must now be set in motion, as we continue very soon to sprawl closer to this 10,000 person threshold.

Meanwhile, as I have stated on numerous occasions, the massive waste of taxpayer’s money by Tipperary Co. Council engineers and Thurles Municipal District officials/councillors and those they employ to do surveys, continues unabated.