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Countrywide attendance for anti-incinerator meeting

KILCOCK, 19 November 1999: by Brian Byrne. Representatives of community and environmental groups from many counties and abroad have indicated they will be attending the special public meeting organised for Tuesday by the North Kildare South Meath Anti-Incinerator Alliance. The world’s leading critic of incineration as a method of refuse disposal, Dr Paul Connet, will be the guest speaker at the meeting to be held in the Glen Royal Hotel in Maynooth at 8pm.

Groups from Wexford, Kilkenny, Galway are already sending delegates, and a group from Scotland told the organisers yesterday that they would be coming, as they face the possibility of a similar incinerator being built close to them.

“We have also invited every county and borough manager in the country, as well as all the councillors in Kildare and Meath,” a spokesman told KNN. “There will also be representation from the Doctors Against Air Pollution organisation.

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GARDA PATROL ADVICE OF THE WEEK

Gardai are concerned that there could be a spate of burglaries in the run up to Christmas and are anxious that householders become more security conscious and observant in their areas. Sgt Kevin Gralton of Naas Garda Station says Neighbourhood Watch people should now be reactivating their schemes and become aware of the fact that the dark evenings tend to favour such activities. He advised homekeepers to instal proper locks on doors and windows. “Vigilance is of the utmost importance. Persons who encounter anything of a suspicious nature should use the 999 line straight away.”

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Proposals to ease traffic congestion

NAAS, 19 November 1999: by Trish Whelan. A number of UDC councillors have made suggestions they feel would help alleviate traffic black-spots in Naas town. The necessity for yellow boxes at Mulvey’s Corner and at New Row was highlighted by councillor Seamie Moore who also advocated the need for a yellow box at the junction between the Town Hall and the Credit Union building (formerly Marum’s Pub). He also believed the double yellow lines at the corner of St Michael’s Tce should be extended. He also felt that consideration should be given to doing away with the right turn at the exit from Ballycane School onto the Craddockstown Road.

Councillor Pat O’Reilly believed that the white line at Mulvey’s premises at the exit from Basis Street to Main Street should be moved back to improve safety, while councillor Timmy Conway said that the right turn on the lane exiting from Superquinn onto Main Street should also be eliminated.

The town engineer is to investigate the suggestions.

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£26 million deal for Naas public car park ... on the 'never-never'

NAAS, 18 November 1999: by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan. Naas UDC is to receive more than £26 million in lease fees for its Corban’s Lane car park ... but almost £25 million of that will be paid over a period of 899 years. That’s the financial bottom line of the deal which has been agreed with the developers who intend to build a multistory car park, a hotel and a shopping centre on the site.

The council will receive £167,000 a year for the first ten years under the terms of the arrangement, a sum which includes an annual £25,000 lease fee that will run for the full length of the 999-year lease. There will also be an as yet unspecified income from parking charges for the council.

However, councillors at this week’s estimates meeting of the UDC failed to agree on a motion that the town manager be given the go-ahead to close the deal, because they want more information on safety matters relating to the project. The developers are to be asked to come before the council to discuss these issues. The developers won the rights to the lease in a public tendering arrangement that originally involved seven bidders.

Meanwhile, the UDC has put aside £40,000 in the Estimates for 2000 for a year-long lease of Hederman’s Yard at the end of Corban’s Lane, so that it can be used as an alternative parking area while the work on the existing car park goes ahead. KNN understands that a portion of that money will be used to tarmacadam the yard

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Anti-incinerator expert to speak in Maynooth on Tuesday

KILCOCK, 18 November 1999: by Brian Byrne. The world’s leading critic of incineration as a method of refuse disposal will be the guest speaker at a meeting to be held in the Glen Royal Hotel in Maynooth next Tuesday. The meeting has been organised by the North Kildare South Meath Alliance Against Incineration and is open to the public with no charge. The alliance was set up to fight a proposed incinerator to be located in Kilcock, and has won widespread community support throughout Kildare and surrounding counties.

An advertisement for the event, which takes place from 8pm, is being broadcast on a number of local radio stations in the area from today.

The advertisement features sound effects of a ‘ticking time bomb’, with a voice-over of the following text: ‘A ticking time bomb. This one is about to go off. Right now there are plans to build a huge hazardous waste incinerator just west of Dublin. Many more of these incinerators, which emit cancer-causing dioxins, are planned. They could be in your town! Hear about the alternatives from the world’s leading scientific critic on incineration, Dr Paul Connett, on Tuesday, the 23rd of November, at 8pm, in the Glenroyal hotel, Maynooth, Co Kildare. Interested parties have been invited to attend. All are welcome. Admission is free. The cost could be immeasurable! (tick, tock, tick, tock...)

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'Workable solutions' sought for Newbridge traffic situation

NEWBRIDGE, 18 November 1999: by Trish Whelan. Newbridge Town Commissioners have agreed to ask the Gardaí and Kildare County Council to put forward a workable solution to the traffic problems at the schools on the Naas Road in the town.

Commissioner Murty Aspell said while he had witnessed a Garda on duty since the schools had reopened in September, ‘he seems to be more occupied catching the ordinary Joe Bloggs in the car than what’s happening with students on bikes and mopeds who are causing the problems down there’.

The commissioner had previously drawn attention to students who ride three-abreast on the busy road and who do not obey the rules of the road when going to and from school, particularly in the area of the bridge. He feared an accident was waiting to happen.

Meanwhile, residents in the vicinity of Langton’s Cross in Newbridge are concerned that a planning application granted for a restaurant in the area could lead to overspill parking on the narrow road at Moore Park. While the permission provides for a number of car parking spaces at the rear of the restaurant, Newbridge Town Commissioner Colm Feeney said it is a very busy road and he wondered about the wisdom of granting permission.

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New cycle link mooted for Maynooth

MAYNOOTH, 18 November 1999: by Brian Byrne. A cycle link from Parson St/Main St to Meadowbrook Lawns in Maynooth could be on the way if consultants studying the possibility agree that it should go ahead. The move would mean widening Parson St on the west side at least for a distance of 60m from the Entrance of Parson’s Court. This could be done either by culverting the stream alongside the road or reducing its width.

Cllr John McGinley says that widening the road would provide improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, and a culverting of the stream would raise the possibility of providing pedestrian and cyclist access to to the College grounds.

“As the bulk of the cyclist/pedestrian traffic in this area is generated by the College, this would result in a substantial reduction in the demand for improved cycle facilities over the remainder of Parson Street,” he says.

 

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Kildare 'not getting money it needs' - councillor

COUNTY HALL, 17 November 1999: by Brian Byrne. County Kildare is being asked to accept an additional 20,000 people over the next five years without getting any extra money in rates support grants to compensate for or provide for such growth. That’s the view of Cllr Catherine Murphy in a reaction to the Book of Estimates which was provided on Monday to the councillors at a special estimates meeting.

“I always read such estimates from the back, where the minister’s letter details the amount we’re getting,” she said. “Had we the additional £4m we need, we could have had an Estimates with a truly developmental approach. For instance, we could have spent £1m on Leisure and Recreation, which would have commenced a programme to redress the deficiency in such services in our towns. We could also have spent a much-needed extra £1m on car parking and traffic management, and £500,000 on bringing our pre-1983 housing stock up to scratch as part of a preventative maintenance approach.”

Cllr Murphy said £500,000 extra on waste management could have prevented a very sizable increase in bin charges, and the remaining £1m could have been divided between establishing a Parks Department and on a five-year Urban & Village Improvement programme.

“There are good things in the Estimates, such as a new Traffic Calming fund which I have consistently called for, and the continued money for footpath provision and maintenance,” Cllr Murphy concluded. “But there are key aspects missing such as provision to deal with the problem with trees, and a fund for housing estate roads. We have to divide what funds are provided, and we must ensure it is a fair distribution. The Labour group will meet before we come to a vote on the issue.”

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Millennium Calendar shows the beauty of Kildare

NEWBRIDGE, 17 November 1999: by Brian Byrne. A calendar produced by Kildare County Council as one of its millennium projects was launched on Monday night at County Hall. The production features the work of Newbridge artist Rosemary Burns and consists of scenes from various parts of the county as well as verses penned by some of the county’s leading writers.

In addition to the 2,000 copies published by the council, a further run of 5,000 has been produced by Rosemary herself with the council’s permission and will be available as a special limited edition to be available through a number of craft shops, newsagents and galleries. A portion of the proceeds will go towards the Kildare Arts Centre currently being built in Newbridge.

“I was absolutely thrilled when county arts officer Mary Lenihan approached me to do the work,” says Rosemary, who has always said the greatest influence on her art has been the power of the landscape of County Kildare. “The boglands have particularly been a tremendous source of inspiration, but for this project I was trying to show how beautiful Kildare as a whole is. There are so many areas of beauty that people don’t realise are here, such as the hidden Killinthomas Wood at Rathangan and the medieval woods at Kilteel.”

But not all the scenes in the calendar are of nature - included in the paintings are such landmarks as the Wonderful Barn in Leixlip, the Mary Leadbetter House in Ballitore, the interior of Naas Courthouse (right) and scenes from Clane, Maynooth and Kildare town. The writers invited to apply a verse to each picture were Ann Egan, Stuart Lane, Mae Leonard, Des Egan, Timmy Conway, James O’Keefe, Dominic Brennan, Neil Donnelly, John McKenna, Mark Malone, Cathleen Benson and Mary O’Donnell.

Launching the calendar, Kildare County Council chairman P J Sheridan said it was just one of a number of projects which the council has become involved in to celebrate the culture of the county’s places and people. County manager Niall Bradley said the important thing about the arts is that they should be an opportunity for everyone to access and enjoy, whether young or old, rich or poor.

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Artists and friends remember Billy Brown at exhibition opening

NAAS, 17 November 1999: by Trish Whelan. The opening of last weekend’s Tuckmill Gallery Exhibition in Lawlor’s Hotel was an occasion to remember one of the stalwarts of the group of artists whose work has been the core of the annual event for many years. Gallery owner Martina Phipps (pictured here on right with Mary McCann of Hartwell Stud) recalled that one of the finest artists in the country had been lost with the death earlier this year of Billy Brown from Kill.

Extending sympathy to his mother Liz, his wife Angela and family Kate and Paddy, Martina said the usual minute’s silence would not be appropriate to Billy’s memory, and led a round of applause from the guests instead.

The exhibition was opened by Mary McCann. There were 26 exhibitors, six of whom were from the inaugural event. Among those showing their work was Fidelma Massey (right) with her Perfect Man piece. Pictured below are guests at the opening night Bubbles McGlinchey, Maeve Costello, Andrew Ogden Johnston and Dr Con Costello.

Also there on the night were members of the Keenan family (below) - Noel, his wife Sile and their daughter Clionadh. Noel retired five years ago from the Menswear business set up by his father Michael in 1933. He was one of the instigators of the Irish language revival in Naas and was also one of the founder members of Scoil Chronain in Rathcoole. He and Sile went to live in Donegal some months ago.

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Rail track Kildare-Dublin to be doubled in capacity

NAAS, 17 November 1999: by Trish Whelan. Iarnrod Eireann is to extend the railway track between Dublin and Kildare to a four-track line, doubling up with a fast and a slow lane by the Year 2000.

The expansion is part of a package of improvements planned by the company to allow for the dramatic increase in commuters using the service in recent years.

While IE say they try and provide a balanced service to Newbridge they admit capacity to be a problem, especially during peak hours between 5-7pm on Friday evenings because all rolling stock is in use at that time, and say at no time can the company guarantee seats for all commuters so the service to Newbridge can suffer as a result.

“The big difficulty is that the track can only accommodate so many trains. It’s at its maximum,” an IE delegation has advised Newbridge Town Commission.

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'Huge benefit' to Kildare from National Development Plan

NEWBRIDGE, 16 November 1999: by Brian Byrne. The improvement of rail services as proposed in the National Development Plan will deliver ‘huge benefits’ to Kildare, according to Senator John Dardis. These will include a rail link betweek Heuston and Connolly stations which will effectively extend the Kildare Arrow service to Dublin city centre, as well as major improvements on the Kildare-Dublin line to separate long distance and suburban rail services. In addition, the plan establishes a commitment to evaluate the possibility of developing the suburban rail network to Naas/Newbridge/Kilcullen, Athy, Kildare and Monasterevin.

“A fast rail link to Dublin city centre will guarantee massive growth in business and tourism,” Senator Dardis said today, “not to mention the improvement in the quality of life of thousands of Kildare people.”

Senator Dardis said he will be working to ensure that the evaluation of reopening Monasterevin Station is ‘fast-tracked’ by Iarnrod Eireann and delivered early in the year 2000. “The reopening of the station would provide huge relief to thousands of commuters from South Kildare, many of whom have no other option but to take the car,” he said.

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Starter's flag is dropped on horse as Kildare's logo and brand

STRAFFAN, 16 November 1999: by Trish Whelan. The new official logo of County Kildare as ‘The Thoroughbred County’ was officially launched by finance minister (and Kildare man) Charlie McCreevy TD in the presence of Kildare’s county councillors yesterday.

At a special function in the K Club, Michael O’Rourke (above), the chairman of the Kildare Horse Development Company, said: “We set out to establish a visual identity and a claim for Kildare that no other county could aspire to. I’m delighted that Kildare County Council have adopted the brand and will integrate it into its development plan.”

He went on that while the emphasis is on horses, ‘Kildare has much to offer and the new brand will help to communicate the diverse attractions of The Thoroughbred County.’

Michael O’Rourke said that research showed that over 60% of people in Ireland automatically associated Kildare with the horse. “We had a unique proposition that no other county could aspire to. We had, in short, a brand,” he said. He mentioned many famous names associated with the county including Michael Osborne (honorary President of the Kildare Horse Development Company), Dermot Weld and Mick Kinane who he said ‘amply illustrate how Kildare has become a giant on the world stage’. He added that the unrivalled skills of the people of Kildare today make the horse a worthy symbol to encapsulate the many attractions of the county ... as generations of men and women have bred, trained, ridden and worked with horses here.”

Minister McCreevy (pictured above centre with the chairman of Kildare County Council P J Sheridan and chairman of Kildare Failte Tom Malone) said the horse industry in Ireland would make the claim that Kildare ‘is the Kentucky of Europe’. Kildare is twinned with Lexington in Kentucky, sharing a joint emphasis on the horse industry.

Kildare is home to the Irish Turf Club, the Curragh Racecourse and the National Training Grounds on the Curragh plains; Punchestown Racecourse, home of the National Hunt racing in Ireland and the National Equestrian Centre; Naas Racecourse; Weatherbys, keepers of the Stud Book; Goffs, Ireland’s leading Bloodstock sales ring; The National Stud; the Racing Apprentice Centre for Education; and over 120 stud farms and 63 training establishments.

The Kildare Horse Development Company has opened a permanent office at the Curragh to administer a business plan for ‘Kildare - The Thoroughbred County’. The office is managed by full time executive, Shane Dolan.

A new web site is to be launched in January 2000 which will give a comprehensive picture of Kildare’s horse industry, and every participant, from the largest Stud Farm to the smallest riding stable will have its own pages and email address on the site.

Pictured above at the launch are councillors Michael Fitzpatrick, John O'Neill and Senator John Dardis.

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Massive rubbish charge increases 'may lead to illegal dumping'

COUNTY HALL, 16 November 1999: by Trish Whelan. Households in County Kildare are likely to face substantial increases in their domestic refusal charges for next year with the proposal of a £30 increase bringing the new charge to £115 with effect from January 1, or an increase of £2.21 a week.

The increase in landfill charges at the county dump could rise to £48 a tonne from January 1; at £22 extra it represents an 85% increase over the current level, which itself was substantially increased in September.

Presenting the estimates county manager Niall Bradley warned that these increases were based on a ‘relatively benign’ likely pattern of costs next year. “It would easily be possible to justify even greater increases as the potential variability surrounding this entire matter next year is very significant,” he said.

Meanwhile councillor Michael Fitzpatrick told KNN that a discount on refuse charges should be considered for those who involve themselves in recycling programmes, which would help alleviate the current capacity crisis at the county dump at Silliot Hill.

Cllr Anthony Lawlor (right) said last night that there should be a pilot scheme whereby people are charged by the weight of their domestic refuse. He also suggested that smaller bins could be provided for people who don’t need a larger bin because they produce less rubbish.

“At the moment there is no incentive for recycling,” he said. “Smaller bins could be provided at £50 or even £20 a year to encourage people to recycle. Just upping charges to £115 across the board won’t solve the problem ... it is likely to result only in more illegal dumping.”

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New convenience store in Naas

NAAS, 16 November 1999: by Trish Whelan. The Spar group have opened a new 1,700 sq ft convenience store in Naas located in the former Hanrahan’s Tea Rooms on Main Street. Manager, Seamus McCafferty from Donegal, was previously an area representative for BWG, the overall company. Prior to that he was manager of a Dunnes Stores in the West of ireland.

Pictured are members of staff, Julian Morrison (The Sycamores), Seamus McCafferty (manager), Sarah Fitzgerald (Clane), Caroline Ormsby (Roselawn), Anita Farrell (Craddockstown), and Emma O’Beirne (Woodlands).

 

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County Manager proposes £45m spending plan for 2000

COUNTY HALL, 16 November 1999: by Trish Whelan. The Road Transport and Safety programme of Kildare County Council for the year 2000 is the biggest single item of expenditure in the county’s £45m Book of Estimates for the coming year, with almost £14m being spent on the programme.

Key elements in the programme include the provision of £42,000 for village community lighting, an increas from£35,000 on last year to allow for the additional electoral area; the continued provision to finance the new Bond Bridge at Kilcock; increased provision for local road maintenance, up 9%; continued provision of £75,000 for local/regional roads signage; an increase from £150,000 to £175,000 in provision for residential footpaths/Disability Access and a new special provision of £200,000 to fund specific works (to be agreed) on traffic calming/junction and drainage improvements.

Presenting the estimates yesterday county manager Niall Bradley (above) said safety issues in terms of road usage areof very crucial significance and cross-county routes in terms of accessibility to locations in the south/west fo the county are also of critical importance and the lack of an adequate network has been previously highlighted as a disincentive to economic and social development. He said an item of particular significance will be the extent to which public transport within the county can be extended or improved.

KEY ESTIMATES FEATURES

Key features in an investment programme valued at almost £45m in the Year 2000 currently being considered by Kildare County Council include:

£5,771,835 for housing and building
£13,938,225 for road safety and transport
£8,237,361 for water supply and sewerage
£2,694,393 for development incentives and controls
£7,279,331 for environmental protection
£2,364,615 for recreation and amenity
£2,812,296 for agriculture and education and
£1,801,544 for miscellaneous services.

A rate in the pound of £43.51 is proposed for the coming year while those on metered water charges could face an increase of 4% or 10p per 1,000 gallons (revised charge of £2.60 per 1,000 gallons). It’s also proposed to increase refuse collection charges and the cost of refuse disposal at the county dump at Silliot Hill.

The manager stated that the overall thrust of the estimates is to sustain the existing growth patterns and opportunities in the county while providing new and enhanced services together with development of more effective partnerships with the community.

But the £44.8m contained in the estimates is only a part of the Council’s proposed investment in County Kildare for the year 2000. It’s capital budget, set at over £65m for 1999, has yet to be determined for next year.

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Iarnrod Eireann may reopen 'right of way'

NEWBRIDGE, 16 November 1999: by Trish Whelan. Iarnrod Eireann have agreed to look at the possibility of reopening the passageway between Roseberry estate and the railway station in Newbridge which the local town commission claim had been used as a right of way by commuters for well over a century.

However a two-man delegation from IE told last week’s meeting of Newbridge Town Commission that they have no record that it was ever there.

Chairman councillor John O’Neill (left)had lamented the closing of the passage claiming it was in use at the time of his retirement from the former CIE in 1978, after 28 years service. “In fact,” he said, “it was there when my father was station master.”

Noel McKenna, (IE district manager, Heuston Station) and Tom Kennedy (IE station master, Portlaoise) explained that the company had wanted a secure car park at the Newbridge station and had believed this would not have been possible with any opening in the surrounding fence. They cited incidents of stone throwing in the area of the station and vandalism to waiting rooms on a number of occasions. but said they would never ‘endeavour to close a recognised right of way in this manner.” Commr Pat Black said this claim would upset ‘up to 100 local commuters’ as vandalism at the station was not coming from the Roseberry side.

Commr Murty Aspell asked if consideration had been given to providing closed circuit TV with the expansion of the station’s carpark to deter such incidents as lighting has yet to be installed. On the question of providing supervision for parked cars at the station, IE say they have not ruled out the possibility of a car parking charge to allow for an attendant.

It was agreed to undertake a consultancy process to determine the matter.

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Change of venue for power station meetings

DUNSTOWN, 16 November 1999: by Brian Byrne. The planned series of information meetings for local people on the proposed Dunstown Power Station (see KNN last week) are to go ahead this week at a changed location.

The meetings will now take place in Kilcullen Community Centre on Thursday and Friday from 4-8pm and Saturday 10am-6pm.

There has been a degree of opposition gaining ground against the gas-fired station, wihich is a joint venture between Bord na Mona and Finnish and French partners.

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Call for extra funds to complete works

NAAS, 16 November 1999: by Trish Whelan. Additional funding should be sought to complete the Remedial Works Scheme in Sarto Park according to UDC Cllr Evelyn Bracken. She says two householders want garden railings replaced with walls and while footpaths have been patched, they are still not in a satisfactory condition. The condition of the road should also be taken into consideration, she says.

Cllr Bracken again raised the issue of the builder who was given storage facilities on Pairc na nOg for his work on the Remedial Scheme, continuing to use those facilities while also carrying out work for the ESB on Naas Hospital. “It often appears like he is in Sarto Park for one day, and then gone for a week,” she claims adding that the work was to also involve dashing to small garden walls. “And people are also concerns about what kind of gates will be put in place.”

The issues were raised at a recent supplementary meeting of Naas UDC but Cllr Bracken says she did not get a satisfactory answer.

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Newbridge traders angry over 'Elvis is rubbish' claim by council

NEWBRIDGE, 15 November 1999: by Trish Whelan. Elvis is ‘rubbish’ according to Kildare County Council’s litter warden - or at least that’s an interpretation could be taken from the council’s current stance that an advertising figurine of ‘The King’ must be taken off George’s Street in Newbridge.

The figurine - and others advertising businesses on the pedestrianised street - is being lumped with sandwich boards as undesirable ‘street furniture’ which must be removed, according to the council’s interpretation of the Litter Act. And the traders say this will both take from the character of the street and lose them business.

The Elvis figurine struts its stuff outside Mick Monaghan’s Newbridge Music Services and Supplies business (top) on the street, who says the image and others like it ‘cheer up’ the place, according to passers-by. “We paid a lot of money for them 16 moths ago and I just don’t see how they can be described as litter,” says Mick. “From a business point of view, people relate to our shop through them. Now we’re told we’ll have to apply for planning permission if we want to keep them.”

Donie Hurley of An Cistin has a similar problem with his figurine of a chef, and he says it is an essential part of marketing in a street which has experienced a ‘massive’ fall-off in through traffic since it was pedestrianised. “I was one of the supporters of the pedestrianisation when it was first proposed, but I wouldn’t be so enthusiastic now,” he says. “Many of the traders here will tell you that it now hard work to keep afloat.”

Several of the traders on the street have A-boards at the Main Street entrance in order to tell potential customers of their existence. For Philip Thompson and Aubrey McCarthy of the Level 2 fashion shop, they are an essential part of their business. “Until we got a ‘stay of execution’ pending talks with the council, the week we had no board out showed a significant drop in trade,” Philip says. “It’s been suggested that we put up painted signs on the wall, but they wouldn’t be seen by people passing the other end of the street. Our sandwich board is our only method of communicating with them.”

Aubrey McCarthy asks pertinently which is more desirable - sandwich boards tastefully done, or boarded up shops on the street? Neighbour Hilary Brannigan of Samborghini’s Express Sandwich Bar says her board is the only advertisement her shop has. And she says that even Kildare County Council seemed initially to be taken aback by the litter warden’s ruling. “My mother rang three different people in the council at the time and nobody seemed to know anything about it.”

Like other traders, Hilary would be quite happy to dump her A-board if there was a permanent and proper communal board at the end of the street, detailing the kind and location of businesses available. But it seems that this is not a runner, as when Donie Hurley suggested it to the council soon after pedestrianisation, the idea was turned down flat.

 

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Planning application for first phase of Millennium Park

NAAS, 15 November 1999: by Brian Byrne. Planning permission relating to the first phase of the development of Millennium Park has been applied for to Naas UDC by Bandenberry Ltd. The application proposes the provision of a new roundabout road junction south of the Sallins Road overpass of the M7, as well as a 9-metre carriageway and 7.3-metre access road and associated infrastructure including foul and surface drainage and general services for an 18-acre site north of Oldtown Demesne.

Millennium Park Phase 1 (MPP1) will provide accommodation for a variety of business/industrial projects in the areas of IT, international services, healthcare, light engineering, manufacturing, and research & development facilities.

The site will be developed on a phased basis over the next three/four years, and main access will eventually be by the adjacent, proposed Millennium Science and Technology Park (Phase 2) road network, which lies north of the MPP1 site and parallel to the M7.

An Environmental Impact Assessment prepared by Malone O'Regan Environmental Services Ltd says that impact on the socioeconomic character of the area can be described as 'positive', disruptions to existing flora and fauna during the site development will be 'temporary' with the Grand Canal buffer zone providing for any displaced fauna; impacts on supply of agricultural land, ground water, surface water, air quality and noise levels will 'not be significant', and visual amenities will not be impaired.

The assessment also says the upgraded roads network will mean that impact on traffic will be insignificant; and the 90-metre offset area from the canal planned for the development will be designed to complement and blend in with the existing parkland features.

The timing of the site development is March 2000-March 2004.

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Development levies - the scandal of powerlessness

LEIXLIP, 15 November 1999:

Dear Editor,

The Kildare Planning Alliance represents ten affiliated towns throughout county Kildare, and seeks to voice opinions on issues concerning the planning and development of our communities. The recent coverage of Councillor Catherine Murphy's campaign to obtain an accurate financial report from Kildare County Council on the status of Development Levies that remain unpaid is a major scandal.

The managers in the local authority surely have a statutory obligation and responsibility to their customers (you and me), to ensure that their on-going business is run in a professional manner. How many businesses in the competitive private sector would last a month, if they allowed their outstanding debtors (bills owed) reach 10-15% of their annual income? A child would understand that the business would be forced to close!

The prudent business, run by professional managers, would ensure that in vital areas like finance, that monthly reports would be completed on time and given to management These would reflect the status on outstanding debts. Only With such a report would the manager(s) be in a position to take appropriate action:- i.e.

1. Insist such customers give cash with all future orders
2. Persistent non payers to be handed over to a standard debt collection agency
3. Finally if such methods fail, the final, reluctant step would be to place in the hands of the legal department for court proceedings

The consequences for convicted defaulters can be very penal when they seek to obtain future credit facilities. The issue of the TD John Ellis is a good example of this and has been widely publicised.

It is a truism that 'money is power - and power is money'. Anyone running a small business employing 5-10 people knows that cash/money is the lifeblood of any business. Without it in freeflow, the 'body' of the business becomes rundown and weakened. Interruption or blockage of the blood supply is well known and leads to heart attack and fatal consequences. It is precisely the same in business. Interrupted 'cash-flow' can easily lead to business death and closure with the knock-on effect jobs loss and all that entail.

It is widely known in the county that the stock reply from Kildare County Council when approached for financial assistance is that they don't have the money. We now know why they don't have it. If these recent reports are accurate then it is developers who are guilty of starving the council of cash, to the level of an incredible £15 million.

The county manage Mr Bradley has a responsibility to the towns of Kildare on its infrastructure and services. Provision of professional staff (planners / engineers), Roads, town centre car parks, footpaths, cleansing staff & equipment and community facilities.

The greater scandal is that it has taken a personal campaign by an individual councillor to draw attention to this. To begin to get something done which should be standard business practice.

End of term report on KCC has to be "must try harder".

Yours sincerely

Kildare Planning Alliance
Mike Parle
PRO

 

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Voting under the scorching sun ...

ALICE SPRINGS, AUSTRALIA, 15 November 1999: SPECIAL FEATURE SERIES by Susan Cunningham. The sun is scorching the earth as we drive through the desert. Not the most comfortable conditions for driving, but we were warned that the centre of Australia is one of the hottest places on earth. The drive from Katerine to Alice Springs takes nearly two days with an overnight stop in Tennants Creek. As we go south the increase in the Aboriginal population is noticeable. Much of the land is their territory and we need permits to enter. A strange situation, since much of the aboriginal culture is based on sharing. It is even said that when the Europeans first came here they were invited to share the land. This however is not what they had in mind. It is no wonder then that the indigenous people have such distrust.

We reach Alice Springs on the eve of polling day. For the first time Australians are to vote on whether to become a republic. This, coupled with the Rugby World Cup final against France, make it a very important weekend indeed. As I stand outside the polling station in the centre of Alice Springs I get the impression that John Howard, Australia’s Premier, has a disgruntled electorate on his hands. It seems that the majority believe that it is indeed time to break the link with England. Time to stand up and take its place among the nations of the world. However, they have not been given the means to express this. The choice given last Saturday was clocked. If you voted for a republic you would have to accept a President nominated by the government. A point, it seems, that is very sore with Australians. There is a very obvious distrust between Australians and their politicians. Whenever I asked why this was so nobody could answer. There is no particular reason for it.

By six o clock on Saturday it was clear that Australians had voted for the status quo. Speaking to people on the street here it appears that they didn't vote against a republic but against what seems to be a politician’s republic. You have to wonder whether John Howard gave his fellow Australians a real choice or his version of a choice. On Saturday the sixth of November 1999, Australia won the battle but lost the war.

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International diplomats for Naas Gala Dinner

NAAS, 15 November 1999: by Trish Whelan. A Millennium Gala Dinner being organised by Naas Chamber of Commerce will be a major international diplomatic affair with guests being the Ambassadors of the United States, Britain, China, Egypt, India and Russia and the President of Chambers of Commerce of Ireland, Tom Clarke. The guest speaker is the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney TD.

The dinner is open to members and non members and is being held in The Red House on Thursday, 9th December. “We would like this event to be a very special evening, bringing together all the community. I feel all of us in business should support this event and make it a memorable occasion, especially as it is the beginning of a new millennium.

A proportion of the proceeds will be donated to charity. Mary Bhogal says places will be limited and tickets, at £25 a head, will be issued on a first come basis. Tickets may be collected at the Naas Chamber office at 32 North Main Street (tel 045 - 874420) or at M&L Shoes or Fabucci Shoe Shop. The event is sponsored by Superquinn, Supervalu and Kate Delaney.

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