Monday April 18th 2016

On Monday the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael dominated Council voted through a resolution that effectively removed any public ownership of viable development sites within a key brownfield site (the brewery site). The resolution as adopted will hand over our interest in development ‘blocks’ to a joint management structure with the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) for commercial gain and commercial return. The potential impact on the town centre of Kilkenny is incomprehensible, but equally important is the damage to the integrity of public participation in decision making and trust in the Council to take cognisence of such processes.

This was followed later in the day by a packed public meeting in the Home Rule Club, organised by Save Kilkenny, where we heard of the disappointment and anger at the decision.

We also heard of documents obtained under FOI such as this one from Joe Crockett which makes clear their (commercial) objectives for the site :

From: Joe Crockett Sent: 09 October 2015 09:31 To: Kieran Culhane Cc: ‘martin.prendiville@kilkennycoco.ie’; Frank Dowling; ‘colette.byrne@kilkennycoco.ie’

Subject: FW: CSO – further info Attachments: ISIF_KK_Prop_Dev Statistical Query Form ver2.0.docx

Yet this public meeting offers some hope for the future. By the size of the attendence, there are indeed many, many people who are gravely concerned about what is happening to Kilkenny. There are many issues still to be addressed, and high among these is the push to have all council meetings streamed live. 

Sign the petition ! Click Here !

We will continue to post more information and videos on these meetings as soon as possible, and will update on the Brewery development as things happen, so stay tuned!

November 6th 2015

The latest edition of “Your Kilkenny” magazine has been issued and paper copies have been distributed on the streets of our city.

It is hard-hitting and makes for compelling reading. “Unelected officials treated the people with contempt. It can’t happen again” implores the Cover Story.  The cost of the CAS project to date has escalated phenomenally and no answers have been forthcoming from Kilkenny County Council. The same council has strict rules inside its chambers and no recording devices or cameras are allowed.  Save Kilkenny supports the call for more openness and transparecy in local government. Enough of this veil of secrecy.

For those who have not seen/read this issue, it is available below:

issue5final

 

October 16th 2015  : The CAS bridge – A truly ugly creation

Now  that the full monstrosity that is the Kilkenny Central Access Scheme bridge, has been unleashed on us, one particularly ugly  aspect stands out. Why does it cross the Nore at an oblique angle (ie. not at a right angle to the river bank, like all the other bridges in ye faire city?)

Above is an image of the CAS bridge as presented by Mr John Mulholland to the Kilkenny Rotary Club 28th July 2014. Note the pronounced bend in the road. Note also the building arrowed yellow. At the time of planning approval, the City of Kilkenny had not yet acquired the former Diageo site and so the CAS was planned to go around this building. Hence the bridge had to cross the Nore at an oblique angle (as if it was n’t bad enough to have a motorway style bridge in the middle of medieval Kilkenny).  Here is what a straight right angle crossing would look like.

So where is this precious Diageo building now ? Completely demolished. So now we have a road bridge that bends around nothing but rubble. So would n’t you think when news of the Diageo bequest came to light, that the CAS planners and Council would review the design? Of course the speed at which the CAS phase 1 was rushed through the council in May/June 2014 says enough. With mounting opposition they were afraid of their lives the project would stall.

Deceit

During the course of the planning, Kilkenny County Council have produced many images of a propaganda nature that would make Joseph Goebbels blush. Here is one such image much beloved by the Pro-Cas fraternity:

Look at that humped bridge go ! Humped bridge ? Surely not the CAS bridge? Look at it in close up:

Now have a look at what the emerging CAS bridge really looks like :

Yep. That’s more like it. As flat as a pancake.

The same deceit was passed off when the first images of the meccano bridge emerged (sorry I mean the Lady Desart bridge).

Before (that’s quite a curve):

Reality (much slighter curve) :

Another image of the emerging CAS bridge.

And lest we forget what the Peace Park once looked like

8th July 2015

Below are three reports. They show three different snapshots in time, of life in the River Nore, since the start of the Central Access Scheme.

2014_07_Nore Survey July 2014

2014_10_Nore Survey October 2014

2014_12_Nore Survey December 2014

See also our facebook page

14th April 2015

Press Release from Mr. Christopher O’Keeffe

Christopher O’Keeffe v Kilkenny County Council: Settlement of High Court Proceedings.

Christopher O’Keeffe welcomes the settlement of High Court Proceedings surrounding the Kilkenny Central Access Scheme Bridge and the Ossory Pedestrian Bridge. The settlement provides confirmation that:
1. Kilkenny County Council will work in compliance with permissions, specifically using long reach machinery from the bank of the river.
2. The nature of this case was in the Public Interest.