Oh My God, They’ll Kilkenny…

In Blog, Politicsby Fedayn18 Comments

Looking North up the Nore with Green's bridge in the distance. This view will be obstructed by the new bridge (photo www.IrishHistoryPodcast.ie )

Looking North up the Nore with Green’s bridge in the distance. This view will be obstructed by the new bridge (photo www.IrishHistoryPodcast.ie )

 

(photo LeftfromtheWest )

(photo LeftfromtheWest )

BtDPLHJIIAAONVa

Despite 10,000 signatories to a petition against it and newspaper polls showing 88% of locals opposed, Kilkenny Council look set to approve a controversial construction project that could ruin the medieval city.

Gardaí swooped at 4am Friday morning last to ensure protestors wouldn’t block the passage of seven heavily laden trucks. This marked the first step of a project that has enraged local Kilkenny people and looks set to cripple the centre of the historic heritage city. Around 40 Gardaí, some in riot gear, were in attendance letting the locals know that protest in Kilkenny will be dealt with as it has elsewhere.

Town councillors are voting tonight on the continuation of the Central Access Scheme (CAS) project which will build a Heavy Goods Vehicle access road and bridge into the centre of the town rather than finish the ring road which is 2/3 complete. A minimum of 13 councillors need to vote for a review. At present it seems 9 councillors are willing to vote that way, the rest will be representing interests other than their constituents if the polling and protest are to be believed.

The site of the old mart has just been relisted for sale while the company which owns it Citymart Properties had gone into receivership after previous planning permissions were refused. It is expected that Tesco will be accommodated at the site.

The Tesco-isation of Irish towns is ongoing and leads to the death of town centres, family and small business.

Comments

  1. Thank you for covering this and getting the word out. We in Kilkenny really appreciate it! 🙂

  2. Richard Coghlan, Etaoin Holahan, David Smith, Patrick Crowley, Ita Crowley, Sean Crowley, Brian Crowley, Clodagh Crowley, Siobhán Clancy, Senáin Ó Garnéir, Aoife Holahan, Jane Gaffney, Sean Gaffney.. Time to stand up for logical planning as well as maintaining heritage integrity…. keep kilkenny rocking and beautiful.

  3. It is a commonly held maxim in planning that if you build more roads you get more traffic.

    A ring road is best for HGVs but overall the town should be looking for a way to keep people coming back to its historic heart and shopping streets.

    A tesco or other super store should certainly be discouraged.

    What’s also shocking about this plan is that no attempts at a river green way or a more attractive crossing seem to have been considered.

    Why ignore a vital asset, then plow over it with a bland and unnecessary quick fix that serves big business and special interest, and will only clog roads.

    In any town or city roads are about how many people you can move on roads at once. Not cars, certainly not trucks, people. A central access route is not likely to be the best way forward if you don’t provide for how people wish and need to move about their own town.

  4. Councillors with Arse pockets full to the brim with kickback cash and jobs for their mates. The corrupt irish cesspool knows no bounds.

  5. Yet another reason to despise the inability of councillors to plan or do anything useful.

  6. Stop this vandalism. Whenever I have friends over to Ireland they remark on how lovely Killkenny is – often in comparison to how cheesy, tacky and awful just about everywhere ela

  7. Good planning throughout Europe is based on minimising traffic into city centres and getting through traffic especially HGVs past cities without giving cause to enter the city. This scheme flies in the face of every facet of traffic management , development and city / town centre renewal . Why – we are not told , councillors have been briefed in private and emerge having changed their position to support the CAS but with no valid reasons given just a bland its too late now. This scheme and bridge will be in existence 2 hundred years from now if allowed go ahead. Finish the ring road or explain to us exactly why 10000 people are wrong ?

  8. I emailed each of the 21 elected representatives of Kilkenny /Carlow last week from the list on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v-FkgzVs_I

    This the reply I received from Cllr David Kennedy – (David Kennedy- davidkensf@gmail.com)…

    “Hi there is only so much we can do u myself am against it and I dont want it to go ahead at all but FF-FG hold the power in the council its them you will have to get on to”

    How’s that representation? 10 outta 10 for ‘passing the buck’!

    Share & shame folks, share and shame!

  9. The maps clearly show very patchy planning. Kilkenny planning officials an Bord Pleanala and our public representatives have not distinguished themselves in this fiasco. If this bridge is built and if the Vicar Street houses are destroyed in order to clear debt from bank balance sheets St Canices will be cut off by heavy traffic.

    Irish town is also part of Kilkenny history, though previous road planning has almost wiped it off the map with building and bridge clearance and having the medieval Butts Archery Green truncated by a roundabout – I could go on. The decision and policy makers must see that we are all collectively, merely custodians who hold remaining historical Kilkenny buildings and streetscapes in trust for future generations.

    David Rothe (Catholic Bishop of Ossary (1620 – 50) referred to the entity of Irishtown: ‘ ….the west is defended by walls and turrets …and pleasantly clad with the verdure of gardens on both sides.This municipality (Irishtown) is thickly inhabited, according to the custom of the country, being encircled with its own walls, and separated by the Bregagh river from the neighbouring city (Hightown).’

    See:

    Bradley, J (1987) ‘ Recent Archaeological Research on the Irish Town’ in H. Jager (ed) Stadtkernforschung pp 321-370, Kiln and Wien

Leave a Comment