McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland Ltd intend to apply to Tipperary Co. Council for permission to develop lands on Slievenamon Road, latter adjoining the, as yet, unfunded Thurles Inner Relief road, at Thurles, in Co. Tipperary. (Latter beside the German International discount retailer Lidl, owned by the Schwarz Group).
From the site notice, erected by Ms Eva Bridgeman, (Agent-Downey, 29 Merrion Square, Dublin), first erected on September 20th last, we learn of McDonald’s proposed plans.
The development will consist of a single story ‘drive-thru’ restaurant, including the ancillary sales of hot food for consumption of and on the premises, with an associated coral area, elevated signage, with modifications to the existing vehicle access at the Thurles relief road.
Also required is car parking, including accessible parking spaces; grill bays; EV charging spaces; bicycle parking; a height restrictor; customer order points with associated canopies; totem signage (latter powerful external advertising platforms that act a bit like billboards); free standing signage; banner frames and digital menu boards; an ESB substation and kiosk; landscaping, including an outdoor furniture seating area with parasols; boundary treatments; lighting, and all associated site and engineering works necessary to facilitate the now sought development.
Currently there are 24 restaurant/takeaways in the just the side streets of this our much loved tiny town, each offering food daily for sale. [ 8 already on Slievenamon Road between Thurles Golf Club and the junction with Liberty Square; 2 on Parnell Street; 2 on Bakers Street; 3 on Friar Street; 3 on Kickham Street and Dublin Road; 3 on Mitchel Street; 2 and possibly a 3rd due to open on Cathedral Street, and 1 on O’Donovan-Rossa Street.] Then there are the 13 excellent establishments/outlets all daily selling food on Liberty Square in the town centre.
This brings the total number of establishments equipped to retail food in Thurles town to 39 outlets, As our readers will understand, the town economy really needs now is a drive-thru restaurant positioned on a non funded, non-existent inner relief road, to bring the total number of food outlets to that nice round figure of 40.
The phrase “a nation of shopkeepers” was an expression used to refer to the United Kingdom in 1794, used in a derogatory sense by French revolutionary Bertrand Barère. Today one could refer to Thurles as “a town of food outlets”.
Over four weeks ago (August 18th) we highlighted attempts, by one or other motorised vehicle, to re-design the “Watery Mall” Famine Wall, located on Robert Emmet (Emmett) Street, Thurles, immediately behind Tesco Supermarket.
Pictures taken of front & rear of the damaged wall on Robert Emmet Street. Pic’s: G. Willoughby.
The rear of this wall, shown immediately above, has now begun to crumble. Because the area has been allowed to fall into an unexceptable state by Thurles “nettle huggers”, its unkempt state is regularly the haunt of children who see this disordered and ungroomed zone as a favourite playground, where they can hide, see and not be seen, by passers-by.
Thurles Municipal District officials have been notified by email.
Meanwhile, following our video, published on August 29th last (VIEW HERE) , the “Ring Buoy” stolen and missing for months has been replaced. So also the river walk has now had the host of overhanging nettles and briars cut back on the tarmacked pathway, situated between Lidl and Thurles Shopping Centre.
Alas, further down while an effort was made by persons unknown to clear a path travelling southward to Suir Island, those involved obviously got ‘fed up’ and ‘pissed off’, or got ‘pissed off’ and ‘fed up’, whatever. See picture hereunder.
No real effort made to clear a path through the acre of nettles south of the river walk to Suir Island. Pic: G. Willoughby.
Alas, the request to Supermarkets on August 20th, in this area (VIEW HERE), to remove their shopping trolleys from the river has, for the most part, gone ignored.
Time now to affect a byelaw re. such trolleys and issue fines, seizing these trolleys until same fines are paid. It should be noted that the basic metal trolley dumped in the river Suir, costs €180.00 each, and supermarket customers pay for the loss and replacement of same, through a percentage increase in the goods that consumers purchase within that Supermarket.
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.
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.
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 22mHGV’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.
The Thurles Town Car Park, running parallel with Thurles Children’s Playground, Thurles Leisure Centre and Swimming pool, Thurles Library and Thurles Theatre, has now been closed to all motor vehicles.
This new Town Park car park, which was only upgraded and officially opened less than 8 years ago, is now once again to undergo a major upheaval. The new project is expected to make this area unavailable for public use for possibly the next 16 months, at a cost of €3.4 million in Rural Regeneration Funding, with little or no discussion or consultation entered into, with town residents or the local business community.
Sign attached on wooden background using possibly 2.5in cross head wood screws, fixed to a mature tree. Pic: G. Willoughby.
One of the signs indicating the car park closure is again screwed to a mature tree. We learned recently that earlier this year, Tipperary County Council hired a biodiversity officer, with a climate change officer already in place. At last month’s Thurles-Templemore District meeting, the District Engineer Mr Thomas Duffy and District Administrator Ms Sharon Scully said that from next year, there would be a proper biodiversity plan, so obviously no officials within Thurles Municipal District Council are in a position to request the contractor or other individual responsible, to remove the above sign until next year.
New Café.
Thurles Town’s 49 Space Car Park Now Closed. Pic: G. Willoughby.
Thurles Farmers Market, following their July 2nd meeting, have learned that the stone agricultural sheds first erected during the Great Famine years, are to be refurbished and expanded by means of a glazed extension. When completed same is expected to accommodate an 83 seater Café, for which an operator has yet to be located as a tenant. Same café will exist just some 100 metres away from yet another café style restaurant, run by Tipperary Co. Council, which remains closed, after several tenants vacated the space, same unable get a fair return on their initial investment. So we now will have two Café’s existing side by side, erected and paid for by taxpayers, for the financial benefit of Tipperary Co. Council; with both Café’s competing with other similar private rate paying businesses each struggling close-by.
New Market Quarter: This new now planned ‘Market Quarter’ will see a canopy erected over a section of this car park area, which will be modified to allow access to water and electricity at a number of service points, for future market days. The restructured area is expected to lose 16 car parking spaces, to already struggling businesses in the immediate area. The canopy, which will be cream in colour with no branding, cannot come lower than 4m from the ground due to the fact that cars are being parked under the canopy. The council says no trader or customer parking will be allowed under the canopy during Market events.
“The Source” Car Park, closed in 2020 continues to remain closed today (August 8th 2024). Pic: G. Willoughby.
“The Source” Car Park, funded through Rates paid by local business, has remained closed, since March 2020, due to malicious damage; today shows no visible effort being made to provide the much reduced and badly needed parking spaces, removed from Liberty Square, during Phase 1 of its upgrade.
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