A recent article in local press that claimed businesses in the vicinity of The Parade were suffering up to a 30 per cent decline in profits due to ongoing construction work in the area has been questioned by Labour Party Councillor Noel Frawley.
The article criticised the delay in rolling out the project, the robust state of the building site with the constant drum of kango-hammers and dumpers reversing in and out, the persistent presence of dust and the ban on parking.
In response Cllr Frawley said: “It is unfortunate that dust, construction noise, and unsightliness is the residue of something constructive happening. However you cannot make an omelette without breaking a few eggs and given time the eventual prize will more than make up for the inconvenience now being experienced.
Regarding the lack of parking facilities Cllr Frawley pointed out that there were some 900 parking spaces available in the nearby Ormonde car park — a facility purpose-built to deal with large numbers of cars in an organised and disciplined manner.
“Business people on The Parade should note that it is the recent budget which is directly to blame for a 30 per cent drop in their sales, not a few temporary barriers and cement mixers.”
He added that the particularly grotesque anti-family budget initiated by the present Government has drastically reduced the spending power of the consumer through a menagerie of income and pension levies being inflicted on the public sector, the removal of mortgage interest relief from householders and from direct and indirect taxation being increased.
He highlighted that The Parade project, and its pedestrianisation, was first tabled 29 years ago by his father, the late Mr John Frawley. “The former City Engineer hoped to create a central hub in the city and provide an area that was free of cars and chaos. It was a bold and imaginative move, which showed vision and would have put Kilkenny in the vanguard of new 'people planning' developments, had the proposal been adopted," he said.
“However, it was not until 2007 that the present borough council adopted a Parade pedestrian project for the city.”
Cllr Frawley believes they should be commended for adopting it and pushing it forward. He commended senior engineer Kieran Fitzgerald and senior executive Brian Tyrrell for their input.
"Time will show the enormous benefits the new Parade will bring to Kilkenny. It will highlight the city's history and medieval architecture, while at the same time giving the citizen and visitor alike time to linger and breathe in the atmosphere and individual characteristics of our Marble City," he concluded.
