Global what? yes you read right! The world’s first Global Lunch Box is currently running here in Kilkenny and is hosted by newly formed group Future Proof Kilkenny who describe it as “a series of informal lunchtime talks and workshops exploring local responses to the global uncertainties of climate change and peak oil.”
The first was held last thursday at Butler House, where people had the opportunity of learning more about Peak Oil while enjoying their lunch.
Teas and Coffees were covered under the 5 euro entrance fee. Overall a very worthwhile community engagement. Looking forward to the next ‘lunch box’ on May 15th. For full details on Global Lunch Box, visit http://futureproofkilkenny.org/global-lunchbox.html
Inner Relief Road is not the only solution-Noonan
The concerns of the Heritage Council regarding the Inner Relief Road and it potential impact on Kilkenny are valid and should be given serious consideration even at this stage of the process according to Cllr Malcolm Noonan. The costs of the project which will largely have to be raised at local level are difficult to justify as no cost benefit analysis has taken place in relation to the project, claimed the Green Party Councillor. He believes any such analysis should take into account the environmental, social and cultural impacts of the project as well as economic criteria.
‘The Heritage Council are voicing valid concerns around the potential degradation of the quality of life of the people of Kilkenny, the damage to the integrity of the historic core of the city and the visual impact of a new bridge crossing on the existing Greens Bridge’ claimed Cllr Noonan. ‘I share these concerns and have always felt that the proposed project is excessive given that we have not adequately explored other options in dealing with our chronic traffic problems’.
Cllr Noonan feels that circumstances have changed radically since the Inner Relief Road was first proposed over twenty years ago. Climate Change has now to be factored into the equation and addressing transport emissions as well as looking at best practice in other European countries could provide a more sustainable solution at a fraction of the cost of the road and bridge crossing.
‘A clear commitment to cap and begin to reduce vehicle numbers entering the city centre could be a positive first step. Our over dependence on the car needs to be addressed at a policy level, it is hypocrisy for us to talk about, park and ride, public transport and cycle lanes on one hand and on the other support the provision of a road that will do nothing to tackle the root cause of the traffic problem and the continued prioritisation of the private car in urban planning. In fact I believe that this road will be at capacity or over capacity on the day the tape is cut’ stated Cllr Noonan.
Cllr Noonan welcomes the reversal of the decision to route the road through Wolfe Tone St. He now hopes that the Garrison House can be put back on the list of protected structures in the 2008 City and Environs Development Plan.
‘Once a piece of infrastructure of this scale is put in place, it will alter an urban settlement that has remained virtually intact for hundreds years just to accommodate more cars. The fact that Kilkenny has just been selected for the Great Town award by the Academy of Urbanism reinforces the rationale for trying to maintain the integrity of the City Centre and for exploring viable alternatives to keep people moving efficiently and without stress around Kilkenny.
ENDS
Contact: Malcolm Noonan 086 8399418
Note to Editors
The Inner Relief Road was first proposed in 1978 as a means of dealing with traffic problems in Kilkenny City. The proposed route then as now dissects the medieval core of the old Irishtown of Kilkenny, one of the most historic quarters of the city.
The road will effectively cut off communities and St Canice’s Cathedral from the rest of the city in order to service a major development at McDonagh Junction. Another proposed mixed retail/residential/commercial development at the old city mart site has been recently refused planning permission by Kilkenny Borough Council primarily on the grounds that the Inner Relief Road and bridge crossing had not been given approval in Principle by An Bord Planeala.
Meanwhile an incomplete ring road extension is due to open in December 2007. The completion of this road with a second bridge crossing outside Kilkenny City would have greatly reduced the need for the Inner Relief Road.
Serious concerns regarding the proposed route have been raised in a report to An Bord Planeala commissioned by the Heritage Council.
Council Signage Policy a mess claims Noonan
The once strict signage policy of Kilkenny Borough Council is in disarray and is evident throughout the City claims Kilkenny Green Party Councillor Malcolm Noonan. Raising the issue at a recent meeting of Kilkenny Borough Council, Cllr Noonan criticised the policy which in his view was once the strictest and most vigorously enforced in the country.
‘Corriboard plastic signs, tarpaulin banners draped across listed buildings, temporary signs pointing to fast food outlets and hideous plastic signage covering historic shop fronts now seems to be the order of the day’ claimed the Green Party Councillor in a stinging attack on the drop in standards. He called on Kilkenny Borough Council to use it’s powers within the city and environs development plan to ensure that all premises were in compliance with signage and shopfront policy and raise standards in the historic streetscapes that would enhance the city centre’s appearance.
‘The city centre faces significant challenges over the next few years with the opening of Mc Donagh Junction and the development of the old Kilkenny Mart site, as a Borough Council we have to raise the bar with the public realm but there is an onus on shop and business owners on the main streets to improve the overall appearance of their premises. Some businesses have already taken a lead with some beautifully hand crafted and hand painted traditional shop fronts’ said Cllr Noonan. ‘but I am calling on businesses to look at their buildings in their entirety, particularly over the shop facades, look at existing colour schemes on their street and to replace plastic signage with traditional lettering’
Cllr Noonan cited the town of Listowel in County Kerry where an overt policy on traditional signage sparked competition among businesses and has had a remarkable effect on the overall appearance of the town and revitalised a traditional art form that could only survive if there is a demand for it.
‘The existing signage policy is robust enough to tackle inappropriate signage and I welcome moves by Dublin City Council to adopt a get tough stance on this issue, we have a unique product here in Kilkenny and the basis for significant tidy town’s improvements. Many of our shop fronts were commented upon favourably by the Academy of Urbanism when they visited Kilkenny recently but there were some that I would rather they hadn’t seen, we have to improve on the current standards’ concluded Cllr Noonan
Noonan welcomes water investment for Kilkenny
The allocation of over €127m for water services in Kilkenny City and County has been welcomed by Kilkenny Green Party Councillor Malcolm Noonan. The announcement was made as part of a €5.8m National investment package announced this week by Environment Minister John Gormley.
‘I am encouraged at the scale of the package announced by my colleague John Gormley, Kilkenny is really punching above it’s weight and it’s reflective of the determination of this Local Authority to tackle the infrastructural deficits that exist in our water and waste water provision’ stated Cllr Noonan.
‘Kilkenny County Council has recently agreed a comprehensive and ambitious programme for the upgrade of group, town and the city’s water and waste water treatment facilities and I believe the adoption of this plan by the council has strengthened our case within the department of Environment for funding’ said the Green Party Councillor.
While announcing the funding, Minister Gormley was quick to point out the responsibilities of Local Authorities in bring our water services up to the highest possible standard, stating that access to clean drinking water was a ‘fundamental right’ and that the duty of care lies solely with local authorities to ensure water is free of e coli and cryptosporidium. He stated that vulnerable supplies would be fastracked for funding as would water conservation measures in towns that had supply problems.
Cllr Noonan went on to point out that exponential residential and commercial development in Kilkenny’s villages and towns over the past ten years have played havoc on the abilities of communities to cope with the added demand for services. ‘More importantly however, we have targets to meet under the Water Framework Directive to achieve Good Water Status by 2015 and that all vulnerable water courses are of pristine quality both for human consumption and as wildlife habitats. Water scarcity will increasingly become an issue as climate change becomes more acute over coming years and investments we make now in conserving water will make our supplies more secure’ said Cllr Noonan
‘I believe the package announced by John Gormley shows his intention to bring our water and waste water infrastructure up to the highest possible standards over the term of this Government’ concluded Cllr Noonan.
ENDS
Kilkenny signs a charter for a new century
As the historic city of Kilkenny prepares to mark the anniversary of 400 years since the signing of the Charter of King James granting City status, a charter for a new century has been ratified in the City of Aalborg, Denmark, making Kilkenny a full participant signatory of the Aalborg Charter for Sustainable Towns and Cities.
The Aalborg Charter for Sustainable Towns and Cities was ratified by Kilkenny Borough Council as a result of a motion by Cllr Malcolm Noonan in April 2005 and forwarded for full approval by the Aalborg Committee. On the 4th of July 2006, Kilkenny Borough Council became one of only four Local Authorities in Ireland to make a binding commitment to sustainable local development and joins a network of over 330 Cities and Towns throughout Europe who have made the same commitment.
The Aalborg Charter was initiated in Aalborg, Denmark in 1994 as a response to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Rio in 1992, at which Agenda 21 was developed as a means of communities responding to the pressing environmental issues now facing us all. The ethos of the Charter is that grassroots participatory decision making is the most effective means of creating sustainable healthy communities, developing local economies and creating social equity amongst all the people of a city or town. The Charter was further copper fastened at the Aalborg+10, inspiring futures conference in 2004, underlying the will of participant Local Authorities to work towards a common goal of creating sustainable urban communities.
Signing the charter, Cllr Noonan expressed his wishes for Kilkenny as a result of becoming a participant in the Sustainable Towns and Cities campaign. ‘These are very challenging times for Kilkenny as the city develops at such a rapid pace, pressures on resources, air and water quality, transport and urban green space, have potential to erode the quality of life of people in the city and environs’, he stated. ‘Unless we start addressing these issues in a meaningful way, we will face very negative consequences in the future, we must also look towards the global picture and begin addressing climate change at a local level’ stated Cllr Noonan. The Aalborg Charter sets out clear targets in dealing with these issues and identifies the full involvement of local communities as the primary means of delivering the goals of the charter. The aspirations of the Charter have also been recognised in the Kilkenny City Local Area Plan, thus ensuring a statutory framework for its implementation. ‘The Secretariat in Aalborg will demand that targets be set and progress reports submitted on a regular basis, therefore ensuring that this is not just an aspirational goal by Kilkenny Borough Council’ stated the Green Party Councillor, ‘The Local Area Plan is the ideal vehicle for delivering the targets set out in the charter’, he concluded.
‘The benefits for participating Cities, in terms of networking and sharing knowledge of best practice, cannot be underestimated’ according to Mayor Martin Brett, ‘I am delighted that Kilkenny has become involved in this important campaign’. The official Aalborg Charter Certificate was presented to Mayor Martin Brett by Cllr Noonan at Monday’s meeting of Kilkenny Borough Council.
