Following the decision by An Bord Pleanala to refuse planning for a major retail development at the former Mart site in Kilkenny City, Mayor Malcolm Noonan is calling on Kilkenny County Council to abandon plans for a redesigned bridge as part of the Central Access Scheme. He contends that the re design of the bridge and Environmental Impact Statement now represents an undue financial burden on the local authority and may never be constructed in light of the refusal of the citymart development.
‘I would largely agree with An Bord Pleanala’s decision, this is an edge of town site and a retail development on this scale could have potentially damaged the core retail area and city centre. While the short term construction jobs would have been most welcome, it is unlikely in the current climate that all of the development would have proceeded and I would now hope that that the project proposers will go back to the drawing board with a scaled down plan for the site that is more in keeping with the future needs of the city’ he said. He also said that the project failed to adequately address new planning and retail guidelines on edge of town and out of town retail developments and the damage they can do to town centres.
Mayor Noonan also stated that the Central Access Scheme (CAS) is so compromised now that it should be scrapped in favour of the completion of the outer ring road and the implementation of a public transport scheme and other mobility measures to service future needs of the city including the mart site. ‘The redesign of the bridge cannot be justified on cost grounds while our water infrastructure requires so much investment and our library services are chronically under funded. The CAS has already cost us signifiacnt financial and time resources and we the elected members have not been furnished with a costing for the re design of the bridge crossing’ he said.
He said that the decision to refuse the current proposal for the mart site should be viewed as an opportunity to look at the entire scheme, road infrastructure, connectivity and consolidating the city centre. ‘Kilkenny has been relatively fortunate, we didn’t over do out of town retail like other towns in the region. Many places like Clonmel and Carlow are suffering because of an over proliferation of retail on the edge of their towns. Kilkenny has a fantastic opportunity to get it right. I would hope that an imaginative re designed plan for the citymart site with a good mix of social and commercial infrastructure will protect our beautiful city while creating much needed employment’ he concluded.
September16th to 22nd is European Mobility Week and Kilkenny as a registered participating city has a journey to go in becoming a model for sustainable transport, walking and cycling. Kilkenny Mayor Malcolm Noonan is confident that Kilkenny can become a leader among regional towns in reducing car dependency and moving towards walking and cycling.
Mayor Noonan is calling on Kilkenny people to take advantage of the good weather this week and make extra efforts to walk, cycle and car pool where possible. ‘The theme of this years mobility week is ‘Improving City Climates’ and there is growing evidence that vehicle emissions in urban areas is causing an increased incidence of respiratory illness in children and older people. Cutting down on car use will reduce these emissions and help create healthier communities through more exercise’ he stated.
The Mayor is hopeful that a number of ‘walking bus’ schemes for schools will be set up over coming months. And with the Mobility Plan for the city up for consideration at next Monday’s meeting of Kilkenny Borough Council, there are many reasons to be positive about Kilkenny’s ambitions to create a healthier environment for the city s children.
On Sunday 20th of September, a half marathon will take place through the city’s streets as a ‘Car Free Sunday’ event. It will commence at 11am in Irishtown and finish on the River Nore Linear Park at riverside drive. There will be a fun run element to the event so the organisers are hopeful the good weather will bring out participants. Mayor Noonan praised the organisers of the event saying the growing interest in leisure cycling and mini marathons is the type of activity that will encourage reduced car useage and is a positive message from Kilkenny as we replace runners with cars on the city’s main street if only for one day.
‘400 years ago, traffic emissions were not an issue on Kilkenny’s historic streets. We can return our streets to the people but there has to be a massive shift in mindsets to achieve this. Its our role as local authorities to provide public transport and cycle lanes but people will have to join us in making Kilkenny a healthier city. I would urge everyone to make an effort to reduce unnecessary car journey’s he concluded.
Further information can be got at; www.mobilityweek.eu
Kilkenny Local Authorities could divert funding earmarked for the Central Access Scheme into many civic and cultural projects if the road is refused by An Bord Pleanala in coming weeks. This is the view of Borough and County Councillor Malcolm Noonan. Projects such as an Arts Centre, the restoration of St Mary’s Church and graveyard, a city museum, the upgrade of High St and the park and skate park facility at the Closh could be prioritised if the city spur of the road and bridge crossing is refused.
‘Given the fact that the bulk of the 27m needed for the scheme will have to be drawn from local funding, the ability of the local authorities to fund anything else while the road and bridge are being constructed will be greatly undermined. This funding was also predicated on an economic growth rate of 4.2% at the time it was put forward to An Bord Pleanala and this has clearly not materialised’ said Cllr Noonan.
Cllr Noonan pointed out that the Council is now moving in the right direction with the Mobility Plan for the city and that international best practice was now directing authorities away from excessive engineering projects to address urban mobility. Freeing up of available and future development contributions monies towards civic and cultural projects could redirect the whole dynamic of the city and place Kilkenny among the leading destinations in Ireland, if not Europe.
‘The obvious answer is the linking of the western environs section of the road with a completed outer ring road, our focus should be on consolidating the unique character of Kilkenny for present and future generations and enhancing our tourism potential, which is by far our biggest employer. This can only be done by continually striving to be better and more ambitious in our vision’ he said.
Cllr Noonan is the only sitting member of Kilkenny Local Authorities to have opposed the Central Access Scheme and has been campaigning against it for twelve years. A decision by An Bord Pleanala is due shortly.
The expansion of the current Kilkenny City bus service from one vehicle to a four bus shuttle service could provide a viable alternative to commuters in Kilkenny and to paying car parking charges. It could also have the potential to remove a significant number of cars from the city’s roads, thus reducing CO² emissions and making the streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
Cllr Malcolm Noonan who is currently looking at options for a city bus service within the context of the draft mobility plan for the city stated that members of the public should make their views known to Kilkenny Local Authorities if they feel that they would like such a service.
‘I think a city bus service, subsidised from on street parking charges could be viable and would enhance business and commercial activity and free up congestion at peak times, particularly school runs. I have been in discussion with the operators of the current city service and they are of the same opinion’, he stated. ‘I hope that Kilkenny Local Authorities will look on any proposals favourably in light of emerging national policy where bus transport is now being seen as the most environmentally friendly form of transport in towns and cities’.
Cllr Noonan also outlined the commitment made by Kilkenny Borough Council in 2004 under the Aalborg Charter for Sustainable Towns and Cities to reduce car dependency and offer alternatives to the public.
‘Obviously a proposal such as this requires public support to make it viable for the operators, but I think a timetabled route with signage, a number of shelters and a buy in from the city’s big employers and schools in Kilkenny could give a city bus service the critical mass it needs’.
Cllr Noonan believes that Kilkenny’s current street and road layout is well structured and that other proposals in the Draft Mobility Plan, particularly the roll out of further cycle lane networks would compliment such a service. He also stated that population bases of 20,000 people or more are widely regarded in the EU as being viable for public transport and that Kilkenny’s population exceeded this.
This is a press release I issued last week. I find it incredible that many of the alternatives I put forward during the Oral Hearing for the Central Access Scheme now form part of this proposed policy. The same consultants were used here and they referenced the ’2020 Vision Sustainable Travel and Transport’ document to inform this policy shift. Yet during the oral hearing they admitted they weren’t aware of the new policy direction of the Department of Transport. Don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted they’re taking many of my recommendations on board, including the transport forum, but I am left wondering if this were presented at the Oral Hearing, the rationale for the road would have been completely debased. In any event I could have saved the Council a few quid by letting them use my submission!
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Many aspects of a new mobility plan for Kilkenny City and Environs have the potential to make the City one of the most progressive regional towns in the Country in dealing with urban mobility and Transport. Cllr Malcolm Noonan believes that many measures of the plan if fully implemented can offer planners a viable alternative to the Central Access Scheme and at a fraction of the cost. He also disagrees with the Consultants contention that ‘soft’ measures in the draft plan cannot be implemented without the Central Access Scheme.
The Draft Urban Mobility Plan for Kilkenny City and Environs was presented to members at last Monday’s meeting of Kilkenny Borough Council. Among the main measures in the plan are provisions for an extended cycle lane network, options for park and ride scheme, public transport options and educational programmes including ‘walking buses’ for schools. However the plan states that many of the measures such as one way systems and pedestrianisation of High St cannot be introduced unless the Central Access Scheme (CAS) is given the go ahead.
‘There are many innovative proposals in this plan that are in line with alternatives put forward during the CAS Oral Hearing. I am encouraged by the fact that the Council is now seriously considering public transport and taking on board my call for the establishment of a County Transport Forum to oversee all these measures. Emerging policy from the Department of Transport (DoT) is encouraging us to change the way we plan our transport systems. The Local Authority is now using the DoT ‘2020 Vision-Sustainable Travel and Transport’ document to inform this plan but failed to use it to inform their justification for the Central Access Scheme’ stated Cllr Noonan.
Cllr Noonan stated that a mobility plan cannot be considered in full until a decision is made on the Central Access Scheme by An Bord Pleanala. ‘Many of the measures outlined in the plan can be brought forward without a decision, however we can only plan the movement of people around the city when we know the full context within which we are working’ he said.
He also said that public transport may not require heavy subvention from the Local Authority if a partnership approach were to be adopted with State Street, businesses in the Purcellsinch Business Park, the Watershed and other large transport users and if it were linked with an integrated system involving rural transport providers.
‘An approach like this will give public transport the necessary critical mass and facilitate the roll out of bus shelters and signage. I am encouraged by the ambitious programme for the expansion of the cycle lane network but this must be backed up by adequate cycle parking facilities in the city’ he said. ‘I would urge members of the public to make submissions on the draft plan in the coming weeks to the Borough and County Council’, he concluded.
