Thurles, Co. Tipperary continue in a cycle of spending large amounts of funding on projects that tick lots of boxes, but ultimately the town fails to maintain what it has already got and fails to fix longstanding important issues.
After spending, in or around some €10 million Euro on updating half of Liberty Square, ask yourself are traffic conditions any better? Motorists would confirm that conditions have become significantly much worse, with heavy goods vehicles (HGV’s) forced to traverse our medieval streets, with no progress being made with regards our long sought after “Thurles Ring Road”. Ask yourself why have all the business premises either moved or closed within the Liberty Square area of Thurles, and where is the promised increase in ‘footfall’, same now reduced by 60%, according to the few angry, remaining business owners.
Officialdom appears to “fix what isn’t broken”; the latest being a €3.4 million car park revamp near ‘The Source’ building, same only revamped some 8 years ago. Latter is just one example; as they simultaneously ignore what badly needs fixing, e.g. the river Suir in the centre of Thurles Town, same being just one example, which Thurles.Info has already highlighted, on numerous occasions, most recently on August 17th 2024 last, HERE.
But there are other amenities showing obvious decay, same directly highlighting officialdom’s utter neglect of town maintenance.
We have mentioned already the 8 year old re-vamped Town Park carpark, same now to be re-vamped, yet again, to become a Market area and Restaurant, as yet devoid of tenants, which will considerably reduce existing car parking spaces, while competing with existing local small businesses, same already struggling to operate just a few metres away in the Liberty Square town centre.
In recent weeks we have watched mature trees ripped out from this aforementioned Town Park carpark and re-sown close by, their bark extensively damaged by heavy machinery which was used to rip apart the tree heel mesh grills at their base. Two of these mature trees are unlikely to survive the coming winter.
New “Nature Signs” provided along the river walk, close to the junction of Emmet Street and Thomond Road, and only recently erected, have now been smashed by a very small group of “uncouth barbarians”, permitted to roam freely in the area. Of course no local residents nearby heard anything, as a large rock was used to pound the thick Plexiglas Perspex acrylic sheet, protecting its contents from weathering.
No Closed-Circuit Television Installed!
Signs are positioned nearby threatening CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television) being in operation. Yet again, no CCTV has ever existed, covering this area, and proof of same is the amount of damage caused by the afore mentioned small number of “uncouth barbarians”, with no arrests ever being made.
The area in the park known as the “Fitness Zone”, again, has been totally neglected, with the individual sectioned area’s poles either pulled up or broken off. Same poles are now rotten, having been only preserved using one basic coat of fence preservative some 8 years ago, before being then left uncapped due to its semicircle (circular half arc) construction.
Video, shown above, is undeniable proof of this very small section of our town, now depicting that which normally indicates an inner-city slum.
Politics: From the words Poli (Meaning ‘Many’) and Tics (Meaning ‘Blood Sucking Parasites’).
The Thurles Roofless Bicycle Shed.
A newly erected bicycle shed to house eighteen bikes at Leinster House, latter the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Ireland has cost more than €335,000. The above expenditure could have purchased a 4 bed, 3 bath, 138 m² detached house, or 3 semi-detached council houses each with 3 Bedrooms, and 1 Bath, here in urban Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Initially hailed by Transport Minister Mr Eamon Ryan TD, as an excellent example of public sector climate action, this shelter, required archaeological advice, to make sure it fitted into the parliamentary complex, at a cost to the taxpayer of €2,952.
We are advised that over 600 civil service staff support the functioning of the Oireachtas in Leinster House. Add this number to the 160 TDs attending for 3 days each working week, [Note: 124 men and 36 women (latter only 22.5%)]; one hopes that this “18 Space Bicycle Shed” can be easily expanded.
Then again many may be working from home or using “The Dart” (“The Dort”, for the benefit of those commuting from Sandymount and Foxrock)“, or (God forbid) these rainy days, using other public transport. One thing we do know, the vast majority of these 760 workers and their bosses are not arriving on bicycles, but then again we never get to see what is parked around the back of that formidable structure and are the great unwashed permitted to mix with nobility?
We further learn, courtesy of the Office of Public Works, that a high-quality structure was needed because of the building’s sensitive location.
Note: Off the record, and keep tight lipped on this, Thurles does not have even one Bus Shelter, and when Tipperary Co. Council learn of the above costs of an 18 Space Bicycle Shed, local commuters had better continue to carry their parasols and hope for non-windy conditions.
According to numerous press outlets, other breakdown costs; provided by the Office of Public Works, shows that €322,282 was spent on the main construction and finished installation; while €10,816 was paid for quantity surveying services and contract administration services.
However, asked for a copy of the business case for this project, the OPW confirmed that none had been required. On a more positive note: unlike roofless Thurles Bicycle stalls on Liberty Square, Thurles, shown above, at least the 18 cyclists in Leinster House won’t have to ride home on wet saddles or come out to find someone has reversed into their “High Nelly” .
Looks like Tipperary Co. Council are not the only wasters of taxpayer funding.
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) withCúchulainn 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.
A recruitment campaign to recruit prison officers for the Irish Prison Service has opened today. The 2024 recruitment campaign offers applicants the opportunity to embark on a rewarding career within the Irish Prison Service, and to make a positive, lasting impact on society.
The Public Appointments Service, on behalf of the Irish Prison Service, is running this year’s competition, and the Prison Service intends to recruit more than 250 prison officers this year.
The Irish Prison Service invites applications from suitably qualified persons who wish to be considered for inclusion on a panel from which vacancies for Recruit Prison Officer may be filled.
The Irish Prison Service is responsible for the provision of safe, secure and humane custody for those people committed to prison by the Courts. Political responsibility for the Prison System in Ireland is entrusted to the Minister for Justice.
The Irish Prison Service operates as an executive agency within the Department of Justice. It is headed by a Director General supported by a number of Directors. The Service is a key component in our country’s criminal justice system ensuring safer community life and employs approximately 3,500 personnel.
The Irish Prison Service are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.
The last recruitment competition was held in 2023 and welcomed more than 1800 applicants. The 2024 Recruit Prison Officer Competition will remain open until September 26th 2024, closing at 3:00pm.
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.
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