South Tipperary County Development Board
Notes of Rural Development Meeting
held in the Clonmel Resource Centre, Clonmel on Wednesday 13th December, 2000.
Present
Michael Hanly (Chair), Brigid O'Keeffe, Cllr. Susan Meagher, Brendan Morrissey, Joe Brennan, Fr Gerard O'Connor, Declan Rice, Michael O'Malley, Tony O'Neill, John Quinn.
Apologies
Donal Mullane
1. The National Roads Strategy:-
Michael O'Malley, (Tipperary S.R. County Council) presented a paper on the National Roads Strategy as it applies to South Tipperary. It is envisaged that 148 km of national primary and national secondary roads will be built or upgraded under the National Development Plan at a projected cost of £261 million (details of Michael O'Malley's presentation attached).
The following issues were raised in response to Michael O'Malley's presentation:-
- The size of underpasses. The size of underpasses being provided is now 3.3 meters high and 3.5 meters wide. Dairy farmers are guaranteed underpasses.
- The number of farmers likely to be impacted upon by National Roads Building Programme. Based on the returns for the Cashel By-Pass it is estimated that approximately six farmers per kilometre will be affected on average by the development (total of 888 farmers in the County).
- The need for a promotion campaign. Michael O'Malley confirmed that the preferred option is, that once the routes option is known, all of the farmers impacted upon would be visited personally. There will also be advertisements in the local papers and mailshots for public consultation on route options and the preferred route option. It was suggested that people be also advised of consultation meetings through the local notes in the newspapers.
- The National Roads should bring significant economic benefits to South Tipperary particularly in the Cahir Area in terms of its location on the crossing route linking all four major Irish Cities.
- There will be no toll booths in South Tipperary.
- Could farmers have the option of collecting ground rent in the future rather than necessarily selling the land? This issue is to be checked with the farming pillar at national level (Michael Hanly to pursue).
- Is the splitting of Communities/Parishes an aspect that looked at under the constraints assessment? It was felt also, if family houses are relatively adjacent, is that factor terms of being constraint needs assessment? Michael O'Malley confirmed that the constraints analysis relates generally to physical factors such as ecology and archeology, but the location of settlements and houses and the Community impact will also be looked at in the consraints analysis.
- Would there be less disruption if the routes were directed particularly in the Northern part of the County through the bog? From a Community prospective this maybe the best option. Environmentalists would certainly oppose the disruption of bog. However, the physical constraints assessment should actually look at the depth of the bog because it may be viable (and also acceptable) to use the bog in some instances.
- The safety issue in relation to turning off national roads into Communities. There have already being a number of near misses on these dual-carriageways where residents and non residents have missed the turn-off by a hundred metres or so and in reversing back to the junction have been involved in accidents. It was strongly recommended that scope for people missing the turn-off be considered in the design of the actual roads to lessen the impact of accidents in the future. Regardless of what is said to people very few are willing to drive an extra five or six miles to the next junction and then come back the five or six miles, if they have missed their turn off by thirty to one hundred metres.
- The provision of transport services to villages should also be taken into account in the design of the roads. Community underpasses and flyovers may need to be planned in this regard. The needs of Thurles which is perhaps the biggest town outside of the County likely to be impacted by the National Roads Development Programme in South Tipperary also needs to be taken into account.
The following consensus emerged in relation to the National Roads Strategy as it applies to South Tipperary.
- The primary focus is to encourage people to go to the consultation meetings at an early stage so that they can be properly informed about the process and also given adequate opportunity to express their fears and concerns. Experience has indicated where this has been well done in the past and where the Community and Farming Pillars have encouraged local people to attend that certainly fears are generally allayed and the number of problems and objections in relation to routes are considerably reduced.
- Safety issues and access issues to Communities are fundamental principles that need to be taken into account in relation to design of the linkages of the National Motorway roads in South Tipperary. It is important that local Communities be given opportunities to look at the design of these linkages so that their fears and concerns are addressed.
- In the design of the National Roads Strategy for South Tipperary, cognizance needs to be taken in the constraints analysis of community impact and a key goal of route selection/prioritization should be to lessen the disturbance from a community perspective.
2. County Rural Transport Strategy:-
Declan Rice, reported that Barrow Nore Suir, LEADER continued to progress the Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) System. A survey is currently being carried out in County Kilkenny to determine the level of need. Barrow Nore Suir are holding a series of meetings in relation to progressing the issue.
Fr. Gerry O'Connor briefed the meeting on progress in relation to the National Transport Partnership Forum. A Rural Transport Committee has been established and the guidelines in relation to the Rural Transport Schemes are likely to become available towards the end of January, 2001. Unfortunately despite the best efforts of the Community Sector, it is unlikely that the Scheme develops in Dublin will accommodate a demand responsive transport approach. Rather it is likely to focus on the development of additional routes.
Because of this Fr. O'Connor has undertaken a number of initiatives. The first initiative was with County Councilors in terms of getting their input into the areas of the County where there is a significant gap in transport services and that might sustain licenses routes. He has also had an indication from Bus Eireann that they would service routes at a cost of £115 per specific journey. Fr. O'Connor had also brought the actual matter to the attention of the South Tipperary Voluntary Community Group Platform and it was proposed that if County bids are required in the applications (post Christmas) that the Voluntary Community Group Platform will co-ordinate the development of an application in conjunction with the County Council, the County Development Board, the Farming Pillar, this Rural Development Review Group, etc. The Platform would also negotiate with Barrow Nore Suir Group in respect of the project co-ordination role and in providing advice to them in terms of progressing the application.
Declan Rice indicated that while Barrow Nore Suir was dissatisfied with the likely outcome from the National Transport Partnership, the Company did appreciate all the efforts Fr. Gerry O'Connor was doing to try and make the schemes more amenable to being sustainable in the longer term.
The Chair expressed a concern in relation to the impact on existing routes that are operating well. It is important that services that are already provided are held onto.
The following consensus was reached:
- Rural Development Review Group is still supportive of the principle that a Demand Responsive Transport System (DRT) is the most appropriate way forward is more sustainable for the medium to long-term.
- The Rural Development Review Group will also facilitate an application from South Tipperary Community Voluntary Group Platform for a bid for resources in January/February once the scope of the resources availability becomes available.
- At a future stage the Rural Development Review Group needs to focus on the social right of people to transport as well as looking at the economic sustainability of transport options.
- The Rural Development Group also needs to look at the issue of licensing and the need to get it de-regulated so that the models that are available in Wales around Community buses and could be transferred to the Republic of Ireland.
3. Any other Business:-
The Chairman closed the meeting and wished everybody a happy new year.
