AN BORD Pleanála has granted planning permission for a new road and bridge crossing of the river Nore which its critics claim would be the death knell for the city’s medieval character.
Read the article @ The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label kilkenny planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kilkenny planning. Show all posts
Friday, 30 December 2011
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Proposed Mooncoin Local Area Plan - Kilkenny County Council
Closing date for submissions to the proposed Mooncoin Local Area Plan - Kilkenny County Council - is the 12th February 2010. Contact bps ASAP if you wish to make a submission.
www.buckplanning.ie
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
€300m Kilkenny complex plan rejected
AN BORD Pleanála has refused permission for a €300 million shopping, business and residential development in the centre of Kilkenny city.
Developers had planned to build “Citymart”, a mix of 25 shops, restaurants, offices, cinema, medical centre, hotel, 54 apartments and 1,200 car-parking spaces on a “brownfield” 13-acre site which formerly housed the livestock mart. The mart relocated to a new site on the outskirts of Kilkenny in 2007.
The planning authority overruled its own inspector’s report, which had recommended approval, and refused permission for a project which it said “provides for a poor form of urban design for this important site”.
The board also stated that the proposal was “premature” given the inadequate roads infrastructure and that the new shopping centre would have a negative impact on the “vitality and viability” of existing shops in the city.
In a significant setback for the development of the site, which was scheduled to create hundreds of new jobs, the board concluded that the project would “require a complete redesign”.
The Mayor of Kilkenny, Green Party councillor Malcolm Noonan, welcomed the decision and said the proposed shopping centre could have posed a significant threat to existing retailers. While accepting that the site would “eventually have to be developed”, he hoped it would be “a scaled-down development more in keeping with the future needs of Kilkenny”.
The project was envisaged as the second phase of a major urban regeneration programme involving an overall investment of €600 million. The first phase, MacDonagh Junction – a development of shops, offices and apartments built on a brownfield 10½-acre site beside Kilkenny railway station – opened two years ago although it still has vacant units.
However, the local authority in Kilkenny refused planning permission for Citymart, citing the “inadequacy of the existing roads infrastructure” to cope with the proposed development.
The county council said that while it was “in favour” of the project in principle, an inner relief road and a new bridge over the River Nore would be required before the development could proceed.
A spokesman said that “building a new road and bridge in the heart of medieval Kilkenny would be difficult given the city’s architectural and archaeological heritage”.
The developers appealed the council’s decision and it has taken the planning board two years to consider and refuse the appeal, which was lodged in November 2007. A spokesman said the long delay was due to the complexity of the case and a backlog of appeals.
Citymart is a joint venture between Kilkenny Livestock Market Ltd and Melcorpo Property Development Ltd. Reacting to the decision, managing director David Lyons said the company would “consult with its professional advisors” and “decide upon the means of proceeding with the development of the site in coming weeks”.
Citymart had reportedly been in talks with British retailers Tesco and Marks Spencer as potential tenants for “anchor stores”.
The decision means that Kilkenny is likely to remain the only county in Ireland without a branch of Tesco. The British multiple had planned to open a store in the town of Callan, but that plan was also rejected by An Bord Pleanála.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Developers had planned to build “Citymart”, a mix of 25 shops, restaurants, offices, cinema, medical centre, hotel, 54 apartments and 1,200 car-parking spaces on a “brownfield” 13-acre site which formerly housed the livestock mart. The mart relocated to a new site on the outskirts of Kilkenny in 2007.
The planning authority overruled its own inspector’s report, which had recommended approval, and refused permission for a project which it said “provides for a poor form of urban design for this important site”.
The board also stated that the proposal was “premature” given the inadequate roads infrastructure and that the new shopping centre would have a negative impact on the “vitality and viability” of existing shops in the city.
In a significant setback for the development of the site, which was scheduled to create hundreds of new jobs, the board concluded that the project would “require a complete redesign”.
The Mayor of Kilkenny, Green Party councillor Malcolm Noonan, welcomed the decision and said the proposed shopping centre could have posed a significant threat to existing retailers. While accepting that the site would “eventually have to be developed”, he hoped it would be “a scaled-down development more in keeping with the future needs of Kilkenny”.
The project was envisaged as the second phase of a major urban regeneration programme involving an overall investment of €600 million. The first phase, MacDonagh Junction – a development of shops, offices and apartments built on a brownfield 10½-acre site beside Kilkenny railway station – opened two years ago although it still has vacant units.
However, the local authority in Kilkenny refused planning permission for Citymart, citing the “inadequacy of the existing roads infrastructure” to cope with the proposed development.
The county council said that while it was “in favour” of the project in principle, an inner relief road and a new bridge over the River Nore would be required before the development could proceed.
A spokesman said that “building a new road and bridge in the heart of medieval Kilkenny would be difficult given the city’s architectural and archaeological heritage”.
The developers appealed the council’s decision and it has taken the planning board two years to consider and refuse the appeal, which was lodged in November 2007. A spokesman said the long delay was due to the complexity of the case and a backlog of appeals.
Citymart is a joint venture between Kilkenny Livestock Market Ltd and Melcorpo Property Development Ltd. Reacting to the decision, managing director David Lyons said the company would “consult with its professional advisors” and “decide upon the means of proceeding with the development of the site in coming weeks”.
Citymart had reportedly been in talks with British retailers Tesco and Marks Spencer as potential tenants for “anchor stores”.
The decision means that Kilkenny is likely to remain the only county in Ireland without a branch of Tesco. The British multiple had planned to open a store in the town of Callan, but that plan was also rejected by An Bord Pleanála.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Cultural community beside a cliff
Vision and the creative use of modest funding have transformed an abandoned limestone quarry in Ballykeeffe, Co Kilkenny, from a rat-infested dumping ground to a rock-climbing hub and unique, popular amphitheatre, writes JOHN G O'DWYER
IN THE LATE 1950s, Kilkenny County Council abandoned a remote limestone quarry at Ballykeeffe, near the Tipperary border, that had previously been used for the extraction of road metal materials. Inevitably, in those less environmentally conscious times, the quarry quickly became a dumping place for car wrecks, washing machines and other rubbish and was also a repository for sugar beet awaiting transportation for processing.
It would probably have continued unkempt and unremembered like thousands of worked-out quarries countrywide were it not for the fact that, in 1981, a new mountaineering organisation was established in Kilkenny. Not content with hillwalking alone, members of Tyndall Mountain Club were soon out seeking suitable crags for the challenging activity of rock climbing.
Eventually, Tyndall member Don Roberts discovered the sheer 20m cliffs at Ballykeeffe quarry, which were conveniently located just 13km west of Kilkenny city. Scaling this ungenerous rockface required more than square-jawed determination – it also demanded a resolute insouciance, since it was first necessary to scramble over abandoned Opels, Fords and Toyotas, along with the decomposing leftovers of last year’s beet crop.
More than a quarter century later, it’s a rare, blue-sky July evening in Ballykeeffe on which the sun seems reluctant to set. Large numbers of climbers are clearly having the time of their lives on the limestone crags above. A group of young people, perched atop the stone seats, have abandoned texting and become engrossed by the antics of the climbers. Cries of “on belay” and “take in” echo in the twilight air while an occasional dog walker ambles past, heading up behind the cliffs for a ramble in Ballykeeffe Wood and Nature Reserve.
Kevin Higgins, who was among the pioneering rock climbers to frequent Ballykeeffe, has just descended, having completed a climb. He gazes over the now-pristine amphitheatre and recalls the early days when things were less sanitised. “When we first came here in the 1980s, the quarry was a mountain of rubbish, and we kept a low profile since technically we were trespassing on council property. It was great fun, though. We often had 20 people climbing on a summer evening.”
He adds that at times it was necessary “to first scare away the swarms of rats attracted to the rotting beet by tossing rocks in their direction. Our group went on to ascend all the then feasible routes in the quarry, including The Animal, which was first ascended by Brian Dunne and Ned Mahon.” The reference is to a 15m nail-breaker route that still ranks as a test piece for the best visiting climbers. Modestly, however, he fails to mention his own contribution, which is Kevin’s Corner, a very severe route that remains extremely popular.
IN A COUNTY where the camán is king, rock climbing was a new and altogether different kettle of scarifying fish that was never likely to move centre stage – so initially the Ballykeeffe pioneers ploughed a lone furrow.
Higgins believes that the efforts of the Tyndall members had some import on subsequent events, since they drew attention to the quarry and the idea that it could be used as an amenity for leisure purposes. “The quarry is now an outstanding example of co-operation between community, sporting and local-authority stakeholders,” he says, while crediting much of this success to the initial vision of local man Matt O’Sullivan.
Praise for O’Sullivan’s initiative and hard work also comes from Padraic Flaherty, a Galway native who is presently treasurer of the Kilmanagh-Ballycallan-Killaloe Community Enterprise Group (KBK). He agrees with Higgins that the idea of turning the quarry into an amenity area was prompted by the example of the climbers.
“Members of the local community never really became involved with rock climbing,” says Flaherty, “but they got to know the climbers and realised that the quarry could be an asset to the community. So when the millennium celebrations came along the obvious project was to clean up the quarry.”
The seed planted by the Tyndall pioneers had now taken root. At the end of the last century ambitious plans were unveiled by KBK to turn Ballykeeffe into a multipurpose amenity while maintaining its role as one of Ireland’s leading rock climbing locations. With support from Tyndall, the community took charge of the quarry under licence from Kilkenny County Council, but only to within one metre of the cliffs, thus removing community liability for any possible climbing accidents.
The rubbish, the beet and the car wrecks were removed; financial support of about €150,000 was obtained from State agencies, another €50,000 from the local community. Soon the once decrepit quarry was transformed into a unique auditorium representing one of Ireland’s most innovative community projects. But how did the idea come about? What persuaded a small, hurling-mad community in rural west Kilkenny to invest so much time and money in an ambitious project normally associated with sunnier climates? According to Flaherty, several ideas were considered, including an amenity lake in the quarry, but when landscape architect Desmond Fitzgerald was retained by KBK, he suggested an amphitheatre to take advantage of the spectacular setting and unique acoustics. “Some of us were already aware of the Minack Theatre, a very successful cliff-top amphitheatre in Cornwall, so we readily accepted the idea and you could say that Ballykeeffe is modelled on Minack,” says Flaherty.
THE PASSAGE OF time has certainly proved the value of the idea. Ballykeeffe has become hugely popular as a venue for theatrical presentations and concerts, and performers such as Andy Irvine, Anúna, Kila, Cora Venus Lunny and Nóirín Ní Riain have praised the great acoustics and unique atmosphere.
“There can’t be anywhere else like Ballykeeffe in Ireland,” says Moya Brennan, who has performed at the venue. “Playing there was a pleasure – it’s intimate and easy to connect with the audience, but at the same time there’s a sense of grandeur and drama beneath the magnificent rock face.”
This summer’s amphitheatre programme begins tomorrow at 3pm with Cinderella – a family show presented by Chapterhouse Theatre Company. Over the August bank holiday weekend, choral group Anúna will perform on Saturday followed on Sunday by an outdoor céilí. Events continue in August with English rock band Oliver/Dawson Saxon playing on the 14th; and the summer programme concludes on the 15th with the Rafter Family’s mix of classical and traditional music.
Ballykeeffe isn’t just a venue for concerts. It’s also been used for fun days, lectures, exhibitions and as a picnic and recreational facility by voluntary organisations, schools and outdoor activity centres. And the amphitheatre merits a visit in its own right. To soak up the atmosphere of the place just go along at a quieter time and enjoy the solitude of a walk in the Dúchas-managed nature reserve, followed, perhaps, by a picnic while watching the climbers in action. And at some stage it will surely cross your mind that this innovative community project represents an example of how modest amounts of taxpayers’ money have been spent to excellent effect.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
IN THE LATE 1950s, Kilkenny County Council abandoned a remote limestone quarry at Ballykeeffe, near the Tipperary border, that had previously been used for the extraction of road metal materials. Inevitably, in those less environmentally conscious times, the quarry quickly became a dumping place for car wrecks, washing machines and other rubbish and was also a repository for sugar beet awaiting transportation for processing.
It would probably have continued unkempt and unremembered like thousands of worked-out quarries countrywide were it not for the fact that, in 1981, a new mountaineering organisation was established in Kilkenny. Not content with hillwalking alone, members of Tyndall Mountain Club were soon out seeking suitable crags for the challenging activity of rock climbing.
Eventually, Tyndall member Don Roberts discovered the sheer 20m cliffs at Ballykeeffe quarry, which were conveniently located just 13km west of Kilkenny city. Scaling this ungenerous rockface required more than square-jawed determination – it also demanded a resolute insouciance, since it was first necessary to scramble over abandoned Opels, Fords and Toyotas, along with the decomposing leftovers of last year’s beet crop.
More than a quarter century later, it’s a rare, blue-sky July evening in Ballykeeffe on which the sun seems reluctant to set. Large numbers of climbers are clearly having the time of their lives on the limestone crags above. A group of young people, perched atop the stone seats, have abandoned texting and become engrossed by the antics of the climbers. Cries of “on belay” and “take in” echo in the twilight air while an occasional dog walker ambles past, heading up behind the cliffs for a ramble in Ballykeeffe Wood and Nature Reserve.
Kevin Higgins, who was among the pioneering rock climbers to frequent Ballykeeffe, has just descended, having completed a climb. He gazes over the now-pristine amphitheatre and recalls the early days when things were less sanitised. “When we first came here in the 1980s, the quarry was a mountain of rubbish, and we kept a low profile since technically we were trespassing on council property. It was great fun, though. We often had 20 people climbing on a summer evening.”
He adds that at times it was necessary “to first scare away the swarms of rats attracted to the rotting beet by tossing rocks in their direction. Our group went on to ascend all the then feasible routes in the quarry, including The Animal, which was first ascended by Brian Dunne and Ned Mahon.” The reference is to a 15m nail-breaker route that still ranks as a test piece for the best visiting climbers. Modestly, however, he fails to mention his own contribution, which is Kevin’s Corner, a very severe route that remains extremely popular.
IN A COUNTY where the camán is king, rock climbing was a new and altogether different kettle of scarifying fish that was never likely to move centre stage – so initially the Ballykeeffe pioneers ploughed a lone furrow.
Higgins believes that the efforts of the Tyndall members had some import on subsequent events, since they drew attention to the quarry and the idea that it could be used as an amenity for leisure purposes. “The quarry is now an outstanding example of co-operation between community, sporting and local-authority stakeholders,” he says, while crediting much of this success to the initial vision of local man Matt O’Sullivan.
Praise for O’Sullivan’s initiative and hard work also comes from Padraic Flaherty, a Galway native who is presently treasurer of the Kilmanagh-Ballycallan-Killaloe Community Enterprise Group (KBK). He agrees with Higgins that the idea of turning the quarry into an amenity area was prompted by the example of the climbers.
“Members of the local community never really became involved with rock climbing,” says Flaherty, “but they got to know the climbers and realised that the quarry could be an asset to the community. So when the millennium celebrations came along the obvious project was to clean up the quarry.”
The seed planted by the Tyndall pioneers had now taken root. At the end of the last century ambitious plans were unveiled by KBK to turn Ballykeeffe into a multipurpose amenity while maintaining its role as one of Ireland’s leading rock climbing locations. With support from Tyndall, the community took charge of the quarry under licence from Kilkenny County Council, but only to within one metre of the cliffs, thus removing community liability for any possible climbing accidents.
The rubbish, the beet and the car wrecks were removed; financial support of about €150,000 was obtained from State agencies, another €50,000 from the local community. Soon the once decrepit quarry was transformed into a unique auditorium representing one of Ireland’s most innovative community projects. But how did the idea come about? What persuaded a small, hurling-mad community in rural west Kilkenny to invest so much time and money in an ambitious project normally associated with sunnier climates? According to Flaherty, several ideas were considered, including an amenity lake in the quarry, but when landscape architect Desmond Fitzgerald was retained by KBK, he suggested an amphitheatre to take advantage of the spectacular setting and unique acoustics. “Some of us were already aware of the Minack Theatre, a very successful cliff-top amphitheatre in Cornwall, so we readily accepted the idea and you could say that Ballykeeffe is modelled on Minack,” says Flaherty.
THE PASSAGE OF time has certainly proved the value of the idea. Ballykeeffe has become hugely popular as a venue for theatrical presentations and concerts, and performers such as Andy Irvine, Anúna, Kila, Cora Venus Lunny and Nóirín Ní Riain have praised the great acoustics and unique atmosphere.
“There can’t be anywhere else like Ballykeeffe in Ireland,” says Moya Brennan, who has performed at the venue. “Playing there was a pleasure – it’s intimate and easy to connect with the audience, but at the same time there’s a sense of grandeur and drama beneath the magnificent rock face.”
This summer’s amphitheatre programme begins tomorrow at 3pm with Cinderella – a family show presented by Chapterhouse Theatre Company. Over the August bank holiday weekend, choral group Anúna will perform on Saturday followed on Sunday by an outdoor céilí. Events continue in August with English rock band Oliver/Dawson Saxon playing on the 14th; and the summer programme concludes on the 15th with the Rafter Family’s mix of classical and traditional music.
Ballykeeffe isn’t just a venue for concerts. It’s also been used for fun days, lectures, exhibitions and as a picnic and recreational facility by voluntary organisations, schools and outdoor activity centres. And the amphitheatre merits a visit in its own right. To soak up the atmosphere of the place just go along at a quieter time and enjoy the solitude of a walk in the Dúchas-managed nature reserve, followed, perhaps, by a picnic while watching the climbers in action. And at some stage it will surely cross your mind that this innovative community project represents an example of how modest amounts of taxpayers’ money have been spent to excellent effect.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Kilkenny support for route decision
THE STATE-SPONSORED Heritage Council and Kilkenny Archaeological Society have both given a qualified welcome to An Bord Pleanála’s decision calling for the medieval city’s central access route to be radically redesigned.
Kilkenny County Council had proposed an elevated cable-stayed bridge over the river Nore as part of the route, but the appeals board said it would be “inappropriate for this sensitive location within the historic core of Kilkenny”.
Although it accepted the principle of the road while rejecting extensions of the route to Loughmacask and the town’s western environs, the board said it should be redesigned as an “urban street”, integrated with the existing street network.
“It is considered that the route of Phase 1 of the proposed scheme is not appropriate as a major traffic artery or inner relief road because of the physical structures proposed and the additional traffic that would be attracted to traverse the city centre.”
Referring to the bridge, the board said this should be “appropriately designed . . . to integrate into and enhance its riverside context to take account of its sensitive location in views of Kilkenny Castle”. A revised environmental impact statement is also required.
Commenting on the planning board’s “provisional” decision, Heritage Council chief executive Michael Starrett said its bridge and road requirements “reflect and take account of the heritage issues and historic setting of Kilkenny”.
Kilkenny Archaeological Society, which had also opposed the original plans, said An Bord Pleanála had “almost entirely rejected the scheme and . . . there is no approval in place for the project”, which was condemned by archaeologists.
“This is a complex, nuanced and somewhat unusual decision, but it is clear that objections of the country’s heritage organisations have been entirely vindicated. In particular, the concept of an inner relief road as a major traffic artery being constructed through the oldest quarter of the walled city has also been rejected.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Kilkenny County Council had proposed an elevated cable-stayed bridge over the river Nore as part of the route, but the appeals board said it would be “inappropriate for this sensitive location within the historic core of Kilkenny”.
Although it accepted the principle of the road while rejecting extensions of the route to Loughmacask and the town’s western environs, the board said it should be redesigned as an “urban street”, integrated with the existing street network.
“It is considered that the route of Phase 1 of the proposed scheme is not appropriate as a major traffic artery or inner relief road because of the physical structures proposed and the additional traffic that would be attracted to traverse the city centre.”
Referring to the bridge, the board said this should be “appropriately designed . . . to integrate into and enhance its riverside context to take account of its sensitive location in views of Kilkenny Castle”. A revised environmental impact statement is also required.
Commenting on the planning board’s “provisional” decision, Heritage Council chief executive Michael Starrett said its bridge and road requirements “reflect and take account of the heritage issues and historic setting of Kilkenny”.
Kilkenny Archaeological Society, which had also opposed the original plans, said An Bord Pleanála had “almost entirely rejected the scheme and . . . there is no approval in place for the project”, which was condemned by archaeologists.
“This is a complex, nuanced and somewhat unusual decision, but it is clear that objections of the country’s heritage organisations have been entirely vindicated. In particular, the concept of an inner relief road as a major traffic artery being constructed through the oldest quarter of the walled city has also been rejected.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Kilkenny mayor criticises bridge plan
THE NEW Green Party mayor of Kilkenny has described as “absolutely disgraceful” the provisional support of An Bord Pleanála for a new bridge over the river Nore which he claims would “destroy” the city’s mediaeval architectural heritage.
Cllr Malcolm Noonan said building the new bridge could “scupper” the council’s budget “for years to come” and added: “this is a bad decision, for planning, heritage, and the city’s future development.”
However, there is widespread support for the plans in Kilkenny.
Mr Noonan said most councillors from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour supported the project and he accepted that his opposition would be “massively outvoted”.
The bridge is a key element in a controversial new “inner relief” road scheme proposed to alleviate chronic traffic congestion in Kilkenny and allow for the partial pedestrianisation of streets close to major tourist attractions.
The plans were the subject of an oral hearing by An Bord Pleanála last year and were strongly criticised by the Heritage Council as an “inappropriate intrusion into the setting of one of Ireland’s most important medieval towns”.
Yesterday a spokesman for the board said no final decision had been made although the planning authority was “provisionally of a view” that the new bridge would be “appropriate to approve” subject to certain conditions.
The board has written to the local authority to say that while the current design concept for a cable-stay bridge is unsuitable, the necessity for an additional river crossing is judged to be appropriate.
Kilkenny county manager, Joe Crockett said that a new design for the bridge would be submitted.
Last year 22 academics wrote to The Irish Times concerning the proposed inner relief road and bridge scheme and expressed their “profound dismay” at a proposal which they claimed would have “a devastating impact on the historic centre of . . . Ireland’s only intact medieval city and a place of international importance”.
Signatories to the letter included university professors from Ireland, Britain, Germany and the US as well as representatives of the British Archaeological Association, London’s Courtauld Institute of Art, Boston’s McMullan Museum of Art and Limerick’s Hunt Museum. They said the project “quite apart from bringing heavy goods vehicles into the core of Kilkenny” would also “entail the destruction of much ancient fabric of the city, both upstanding and buried”.
They claimed that the proposed new bridge “endangers the supposedly protected setting” of an existing “fine Palladian bridge” and added that “this proposal flagrantly disregards the strenuous efforts that are now being made throughout Europe to keep traffic out of historic city centres”.
In its submission to An Bord Pleanála, the Heritage Council claimed that Kilkenny County Council “failed to adequately consider sustainable alternatives such as proper or increased public transport provision within the historic city”.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Cllr Malcolm Noonan said building the new bridge could “scupper” the council’s budget “for years to come” and added: “this is a bad decision, for planning, heritage, and the city’s future development.”
However, there is widespread support for the plans in Kilkenny.
Mr Noonan said most councillors from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour supported the project and he accepted that his opposition would be “massively outvoted”.
The bridge is a key element in a controversial new “inner relief” road scheme proposed to alleviate chronic traffic congestion in Kilkenny and allow for the partial pedestrianisation of streets close to major tourist attractions.
The plans were the subject of an oral hearing by An Bord Pleanála last year and were strongly criticised by the Heritage Council as an “inappropriate intrusion into the setting of one of Ireland’s most important medieval towns”.
Yesterday a spokesman for the board said no final decision had been made although the planning authority was “provisionally of a view” that the new bridge would be “appropriate to approve” subject to certain conditions.
The board has written to the local authority to say that while the current design concept for a cable-stay bridge is unsuitable, the necessity for an additional river crossing is judged to be appropriate.
Kilkenny county manager, Joe Crockett said that a new design for the bridge would be submitted.
Last year 22 academics wrote to The Irish Times concerning the proposed inner relief road and bridge scheme and expressed their “profound dismay” at a proposal which they claimed would have “a devastating impact on the historic centre of . . . Ireland’s only intact medieval city and a place of international importance”.
Signatories to the letter included university professors from Ireland, Britain, Germany and the US as well as representatives of the British Archaeological Association, London’s Courtauld Institute of Art, Boston’s McMullan Museum of Art and Limerick’s Hunt Museum. They said the project “quite apart from bringing heavy goods vehicles into the core of Kilkenny” would also “entail the destruction of much ancient fabric of the city, both upstanding and buried”.
They claimed that the proposed new bridge “endangers the supposedly protected setting” of an existing “fine Palladian bridge” and added that “this proposal flagrantly disregards the strenuous efforts that are now being made throughout Europe to keep traffic out of historic city centres”.
In its submission to An Bord Pleanála, the Heritage Council claimed that Kilkenny County Council “failed to adequately consider sustainable alternatives such as proper or increased public transport provision within the historic city”.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Farmers battle it out for estate
LAST WEEK’S sale of the Castle Annaghs estate in south Co Kilkenny for €6.075 million – almost €10 million less than the original €16 million asking price – “reflects the realities of the market” according to the auctioneer.
Anne Carton, of New Ross firm PN OGorman, said the price of about €11,000 per acre for the land “reflects the realities of the market” and recalled auctions a few years ago “when men in hard hats were bidding €30,000 to €40,000 per acre”.
The 929sq m (10,000sq ft) Georgian house on 550 acres of agricultural land with two miles of River Barrow frontage was initially offered for sale by tender in spring last year for €16 million. A sale was agreed to an Irish dairy farmer for a rumoured €9.2 million last summer but the deal fell apart. The subsequent banking crisis, economic downturn and collapse in property prices resulted in the owner reducing the price by an extraordinary €8.5 million.
The AMV ahead of last Friday’s public auction was just €7.5 million but, in the end, not even that figure was achieved. The successful bid of just over €6 million represents a 75 per cent drop from the original asking price.
Bidders from as far afield as Donegal and Cork had crowded into the packed sale room at the Mount Brandon Hotel in New Ross.
Anne Carton launched proceedings by noting the good weather and promising the many farmers present that she’d have them “out by 4 o’clock to get back to the silage” but the sale dragged on for half-an-hour longer.
No member of the wealthy German family, the Jebens, who own the estate through a Liechtenstein-registered company, Catanga, was present.
The opening bid of €3 million was made by a north Tipperary farmer who later confirmed to The Irish Times that his “limit was €5 million”. The auction advanced slowly and the hammer eventually came down at 4.25pm when a Donegal farmer was finally outbid by Liam Sheily from west Cork. The dairy farmer said “it was a big price to pay” before he left the room to call his family and sign the sale documents.
Ms Carton later confirmed that “all the bidders were farmers” which “proves that there’s still a future in farming”. A number of local farmers who own land adjoining the estate had attended the sale as observers. One said he “would love to have bought it but would need to have won the Lotto”. However, he was “pleased” that it had been bought by an Irish farmer.
The new owner inherits a large EU Single Farm Payment entitlement which comes with the land as well as an annual milk quota of 174,000 gallons.
The Jebens, who live in Hamburg and bought the property for just £60,000 in 1962, were said to be “delighted” by the sale. They never lived on the estate, which was run by a farm manager, but frequently visited during the summer months.
In 2007, a planning application to convert the house into a hotel and construct 75 apartments, 30 detached houses and a golf course on the estate was rejected by An Bord Pleanála despite having earlier been approved by Kilkenny County Council.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Anne Carton, of New Ross firm PN OGorman, said the price of about €11,000 per acre for the land “reflects the realities of the market” and recalled auctions a few years ago “when men in hard hats were bidding €30,000 to €40,000 per acre”.
The 929sq m (10,000sq ft) Georgian house on 550 acres of agricultural land with two miles of River Barrow frontage was initially offered for sale by tender in spring last year for €16 million. A sale was agreed to an Irish dairy farmer for a rumoured €9.2 million last summer but the deal fell apart. The subsequent banking crisis, economic downturn and collapse in property prices resulted in the owner reducing the price by an extraordinary €8.5 million.
The AMV ahead of last Friday’s public auction was just €7.5 million but, in the end, not even that figure was achieved. The successful bid of just over €6 million represents a 75 per cent drop from the original asking price.
Bidders from as far afield as Donegal and Cork had crowded into the packed sale room at the Mount Brandon Hotel in New Ross.
Anne Carton launched proceedings by noting the good weather and promising the many farmers present that she’d have them “out by 4 o’clock to get back to the silage” but the sale dragged on for half-an-hour longer.
No member of the wealthy German family, the Jebens, who own the estate through a Liechtenstein-registered company, Catanga, was present.
The opening bid of €3 million was made by a north Tipperary farmer who later confirmed to The Irish Times that his “limit was €5 million”. The auction advanced slowly and the hammer eventually came down at 4.25pm when a Donegal farmer was finally outbid by Liam Sheily from west Cork. The dairy farmer said “it was a big price to pay” before he left the room to call his family and sign the sale documents.
Ms Carton later confirmed that “all the bidders were farmers” which “proves that there’s still a future in farming”. A number of local farmers who own land adjoining the estate had attended the sale as observers. One said he “would love to have bought it but would need to have won the Lotto”. However, he was “pleased” that it had been bought by an Irish farmer.
The new owner inherits a large EU Single Farm Payment entitlement which comes with the land as well as an annual milk quota of 174,000 gallons.
The Jebens, who live in Hamburg and bought the property for just £60,000 in 1962, were said to be “delighted” by the sale. They never lived on the estate, which was run by a farm manager, but frequently visited during the summer months.
In 2007, a planning application to convert the house into a hotel and construct 75 apartments, 30 detached houses and a golf course on the estate was rejected by An Bord Pleanála despite having earlier been approved by Kilkenny County Council.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Road will help to redevelop Kilkenny city, hearing told
A NEW central access road proposed for Kilkenny city which incorporates a cable-stayed bridge across the river Nore would unlock considerable city-centre redevelopment potential, including that of the former Smithwicks brewery site, a Bord Pleanála oral hearing into the scheme was told yesterday.
The scheme, which is being opposed by An Taisce and the Heritage Council among others, contains two distinct sections, an east-west link incorporating the new bridge over the Nore to the Castlecomer road and a north-south link connecting the city's western environs to the Freshford road.
The scheme is being promoted jointly by Kilkenny Borough and Kilkenny County councils.
Speaking at the opening of the planning hearing in the city yesterday, Michael Grace, a chartered town planner for the local authorities, said the aim of the road was not to aid through traffic in Kilkenny city, but to "unblock" congestion and ease traffic volumes on the city's two existing bridges.
It would, he said, provide for the redevelopment of key sites in the city-centre, such as the brewery, Bateman Quay and the mart site, which would prevent the development of "out-of-town" retail centres and the consequent potential loss of business to Carlow and Waterford.
The road would also make provision for planned residential development on the west side of the city while at the same time easing access to the city-centre health facilities and hospitals.
He told the hearing that the local authorities were very conscious of Kilkenny's many historic buildings and its medieval character. He said they were also conscious of Kilkenny's important and thriving retail centre. It was, he said, a "living city" with all the "expectations" of retail, health and educational facilities.
Mr Grace said that the status and maintenance of Kilkenny as a living city in tandem with its heritage had been recognised by the achievement of the Academy of Urbanism's Great Town Award.
"Kilkenny has only two bridges, excluding the new bridge on the ring road, which are John's Bridge and Green Bridge, and the narrow streets of the city are impacted by traffic congestion, reducing the amenity currently enjoyed by pedestrians" he told planning inspector Danny O'Connor.
Mr Grace said that the new bridge would be an aesthetic addition to the city, providing for "partial pedestrianisation" of John's Street and High Street. It would also make a local bus-based public transport system possible.
Among those listed as observers at the hearing are Diageo, owner of the Smithwicks brewery; the National Parks and Wildlife Service; the Construction Industry Federation; the Department of the Environment and local residents and a number of archaeologists and conservationists. An environmentalist, Peter Sweetman, told the inquiry that its work might be academic, as Ireland had recently been found to be in breach of EU rules on environmental impact assessments. He said that this scheme fell into that category.
The hearing was also addressed by Michael Starrett, chief executive of the Heritage Council. Mr Starrett said there were "characteristics that set Kilkenny apart and have been the foundation of the city's social, economic and environmental success to date".
He said the scheme was based on out-of-date traffic management thinking and on "road engineering solutions dating from the late 1970s" in an attempt to resolve economic, social and environmental issues which the city now faced.
"Times have moved on significantly in the intervening period. Across Europe, approaches to how the management of such issues in our medieval towns and cities are dealt with have been imaginative and realistic and cost-effective," he added.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The scheme, which is being opposed by An Taisce and the Heritage Council among others, contains two distinct sections, an east-west link incorporating the new bridge over the Nore to the Castlecomer road and a north-south link connecting the city's western environs to the Freshford road.
The scheme is being promoted jointly by Kilkenny Borough and Kilkenny County councils.
Speaking at the opening of the planning hearing in the city yesterday, Michael Grace, a chartered town planner for the local authorities, said the aim of the road was not to aid through traffic in Kilkenny city, but to "unblock" congestion and ease traffic volumes on the city's two existing bridges.
It would, he said, provide for the redevelopment of key sites in the city-centre, such as the brewery, Bateman Quay and the mart site, which would prevent the development of "out-of-town" retail centres and the consequent potential loss of business to Carlow and Waterford.
The road would also make provision for planned residential development on the west side of the city while at the same time easing access to the city-centre health facilities and hospitals.
He told the hearing that the local authorities were very conscious of Kilkenny's many historic buildings and its medieval character. He said they were also conscious of Kilkenny's important and thriving retail centre. It was, he said, a "living city" with all the "expectations" of retail, health and educational facilities.
Mr Grace said that the status and maintenance of Kilkenny as a living city in tandem with its heritage had been recognised by the achievement of the Academy of Urbanism's Great Town Award.
"Kilkenny has only two bridges, excluding the new bridge on the ring road, which are John's Bridge and Green Bridge, and the narrow streets of the city are impacted by traffic congestion, reducing the amenity currently enjoyed by pedestrians" he told planning inspector Danny O'Connor.
Mr Grace said that the new bridge would be an aesthetic addition to the city, providing for "partial pedestrianisation" of John's Street and High Street. It would also make a local bus-based public transport system possible.
Among those listed as observers at the hearing are Diageo, owner of the Smithwicks brewery; the National Parks and Wildlife Service; the Construction Industry Federation; the Department of the Environment and local residents and a number of archaeologists and conservationists. An environmentalist, Peter Sweetman, told the inquiry that its work might be academic, as Ireland had recently been found to be in breach of EU rules on environmental impact assessments. He said that this scheme fell into that category.
The hearing was also addressed by Michael Starrett, chief executive of the Heritage Council. Mr Starrett said there were "characteristics that set Kilkenny apart and have been the foundation of the city's social, economic and environmental success to date".
He said the scheme was based on out-of-date traffic management thinking and on "road engineering solutions dating from the late 1970s" in an attempt to resolve economic, social and environmental issues which the city now faced.
"Times have moved on significantly in the intervening period. Across Europe, approaches to how the management of such issues in our medieval towns and cities are dealt with have been imaginative and realistic and cost-effective," he added.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Road will help to redevelop Kilkenny city, hearing told
A NEW central access road proposed for Kilkenny city which incorporates a cable-stayed bridge across the river Nore would unlock considerable city-centre redevelopment potential, including that of the former Smithwicks brewery site, a Bord Pleanála oral hearing into the scheme was told yesterday.
The scheme, which is being opposed by An Taisce and the Heritage Council among others, contains two distinct sections, an east-west link incorporating the new bridge over the Nore to the Castlecomer road and a north-south link connecting the city's western environs to the Freshford road.
The scheme is being promoted jointly by Kilkenny Borough and Kilkenny County councils.
Speaking at the opening of the planning hearing in the city yesterday, Michael Grace, a chartered town planner for the local authorities, said the aim of the road was not to aid through traffic in Kilkenny city, but to "unblock" congestion and ease traffic volumes on the city's two existing bridges.
It would, he said, provide for the redevelopment of key sites in the city-centre, such as the brewery, Bateman Quay and the mart site, which would prevent the development of "out-of-town" retail centres and the consequent potential loss of business to Carlow and Waterford.
The road would also make provision for planned residential development on the west side of the city while at the same time easing access to the city-centre health facilities and hospitals.
He told the hearing that the local authorities were very conscious of Kilkenny's many historic buildings and its medieval character. He said they were also conscious of Kilkenny's important and thriving retail centre. It was, he said, a "living city" with all the "expectations" of retail, health and educational facilities.
Mr Grace said that the status and maintenance of Kilkenny as a living city in tandem with its heritage had been recognised by the achievement of the Academy of Urbanism's Great Town Award.
"Kilkenny has only two bridges, excluding the new bridge on the ring road, which are John's Bridge and Green Bridge, and the narrow streets of the city are impacted by traffic congestion, reducing the amenity currently enjoyed by pedestrians" he told planning inspector Danny O'Connor.
Mr Grace said that the new bridge would be an aesthetic addition to the city, providing for "partial pedestrianisation" of John's Street and High Street. It would also make a local bus-based public transport system possible.
Among those listed as observers at the hearing are Diageo, owner of the Smithwicks brewery; the National Parks and Wildlife Service; the Construction Industry Federation; the Department of the Environment and local residents and a number of archaeologists and conservationists. An environmentalist, Peter Sweetman, told the inquiry that its work might be academic, as Ireland had recently been found to be in breach of EU rules on environmental impact assessments. He said that this scheme fell into that category.
The hearing was also addressed by Michael Starrett, chief executive of the Heritage Council. Mr Starrett said there were "characteristics that set Kilkenny apart and have been the foundation of the city's social, economic and environmental success to date".
He said the scheme was based on out-of-date traffic management thinking and on "road engineering solutions dating from the late 1970s" in an attempt to resolve economic, social and environmental issues which the city now faced.
"Times have moved on significantly in the intervening period. Across Europe, approaches to how the management of such issues in our medieval towns and cities are dealt with have been imaginative and realistic and cost-effective," he added.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The scheme, which is being opposed by An Taisce and the Heritage Council among others, contains two distinct sections, an east-west link incorporating the new bridge over the Nore to the Castlecomer road and a north-south link connecting the city's western environs to the Freshford road.
The scheme is being promoted jointly by Kilkenny Borough and Kilkenny County councils.
Speaking at the opening of the planning hearing in the city yesterday, Michael Grace, a chartered town planner for the local authorities, said the aim of the road was not to aid through traffic in Kilkenny city, but to "unblock" congestion and ease traffic volumes on the city's two existing bridges.
It would, he said, provide for the redevelopment of key sites in the city-centre, such as the brewery, Bateman Quay and the mart site, which would prevent the development of "out-of-town" retail centres and the consequent potential loss of business to Carlow and Waterford.
The road would also make provision for planned residential development on the west side of the city while at the same time easing access to the city-centre health facilities and hospitals.
He told the hearing that the local authorities were very conscious of Kilkenny's many historic buildings and its medieval character. He said they were also conscious of Kilkenny's important and thriving retail centre. It was, he said, a "living city" with all the "expectations" of retail, health and educational facilities.
Mr Grace said that the status and maintenance of Kilkenny as a living city in tandem with its heritage had been recognised by the achievement of the Academy of Urbanism's Great Town Award.
"Kilkenny has only two bridges, excluding the new bridge on the ring road, which are John's Bridge and Green Bridge, and the narrow streets of the city are impacted by traffic congestion, reducing the amenity currently enjoyed by pedestrians" he told planning inspector Danny O'Connor.
Mr Grace said that the new bridge would be an aesthetic addition to the city, providing for "partial pedestrianisation" of John's Street and High Street. It would also make a local bus-based public transport system possible.
Among those listed as observers at the hearing are Diageo, owner of the Smithwicks brewery; the National Parks and Wildlife Service; the Construction Industry Federation; the Department of the Environment and local residents and a number of archaeologists and conservationists. An environmentalist, Peter Sweetman, told the inquiry that its work might be academic, as Ireland had recently been found to be in breach of EU rules on environmental impact assessments. He said that this scheme fell into that category.
The hearing was also addressed by Michael Starrett, chief executive of the Heritage Council. Mr Starrett said there were "characteristics that set Kilkenny apart and have been the foundation of the city's social, economic and environmental success to date".
He said the scheme was based on out-of-date traffic management thinking and on "road engineering solutions dating from the late 1970s" in an attempt to resolve economic, social and environmental issues which the city now faced.
"Times have moved on significantly in the intervening period. Across Europe, approaches to how the management of such issues in our medieval towns and cities are dealt with have been imaginative and realistic and cost-effective," he added.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Friday, 11 January 2008
Politicians angry as An Bord Pleanála turns down Kilkenny Tesco
Politicians in Kilkenny have reacted with dismay to a decision by An Bord Pleanála to refuse planning permission for a Tesco store in the county.
They say the store would have created up to 200 jobs and pumped "millions of euro" in wages into the local economy. The decision means Kilkenny will remain the only county in Ireland without a branch of the British supermarket chain which operates 96 shops throughout the other 25 counties in the Republic.
Kilkenny County Council had already approved the rezoning of land and granted planning permission for the store in the town of Callan close to the Tipperary border. The application was submitted by the landowner, Richard Holden, and envisaged a retail outlet of some 26,000 sq ft and car parking for 243 cars. But objections from the owners of the town's existing Super-Valu supermarket and one local resident were lodged with An Bord Pleanála.
The board yesterday said it had refused permission because the proposed development "on an important site at the entry to Callan" would be "contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area"; would "seriously injure the visual amenities of the area"; and, would "seriously injure the amenities of adjoining residential properties".
However, the chairman of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Tom Maher (FG) said he was "extremely disappointed" and claimed the "vast majority of people" want the store. Apart from "up to 120 permanent jobs", he said the project would have created "up to 60 temporary construction jobs".
He added that shoppers were forced to travel "at great inconvenience" to Tesco stores in neighbouring counties and would "continue to do so" to the detriment of Kilkenny's economy.
Cllr Matt Doran (FF) was "absolutely disgusted and hugely disappointed" that the town would lose out on the estimated €2.5 million in annual wages which would have been paid. He deplored a decision made by "a body of people [ An Bord Pleanála] from outside of the area who have no idea about the social and economic issues involved".
He said "Callan needs a store like Tesco in order to survive". Mr Doran called on people "to lobby the media, public representatives and Tesco" to ensure that the company did not give up on the town.
Séamus Banim, a spokesman for Tesco Ireland, said the company would not comment until it had an opportunity to review the decision. The company claims its activities are worth an annual €2.5 billion to the economy.
Tesco employs over 13,000 people in Ireland and provides a further "10,000 jobs in supplier firms" and "4,000 plus jobs are supported directly by exports of Irish products".
Michael Parsons
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
They say the store would have created up to 200 jobs and pumped "millions of euro" in wages into the local economy. The decision means Kilkenny will remain the only county in Ireland without a branch of the British supermarket chain which operates 96 shops throughout the other 25 counties in the Republic.
Kilkenny County Council had already approved the rezoning of land and granted planning permission for the store in the town of Callan close to the Tipperary border. The application was submitted by the landowner, Richard Holden, and envisaged a retail outlet of some 26,000 sq ft and car parking for 243 cars. But objections from the owners of the town's existing Super-Valu supermarket and one local resident were lodged with An Bord Pleanála.
The board yesterday said it had refused permission because the proposed development "on an important site at the entry to Callan" would be "contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area"; would "seriously injure the visual amenities of the area"; and, would "seriously injure the amenities of adjoining residential properties".
However, the chairman of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Tom Maher (FG) said he was "extremely disappointed" and claimed the "vast majority of people" want the store. Apart from "up to 120 permanent jobs", he said the project would have created "up to 60 temporary construction jobs".
He added that shoppers were forced to travel "at great inconvenience" to Tesco stores in neighbouring counties and would "continue to do so" to the detriment of Kilkenny's economy.
Cllr Matt Doran (FF) was "absolutely disgusted and hugely disappointed" that the town would lose out on the estimated €2.5 million in annual wages which would have been paid. He deplored a decision made by "a body of people [ An Bord Pleanála] from outside of the area who have no idea about the social and economic issues involved".
He said "Callan needs a store like Tesco in order to survive". Mr Doran called on people "to lobby the media, public representatives and Tesco" to ensure that the company did not give up on the town.
Séamus Banim, a spokesman for Tesco Ireland, said the company would not comment until it had an opportunity to review the decision. The company claims its activities are worth an annual €2.5 billion to the economy.
Tesco employs over 13,000 people in Ireland and provides a further "10,000 jobs in supplier firms" and "4,000 plus jobs are supported directly by exports of Irish products".
Michael Parsons
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
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