Speaking following the preliminary findings by An Bord Pleanala regarding the Central Access Scheme, Mayor of Kilkenny, Malcolm Noonan, stated that the recommendations are complex and in his view are inadvertently directing Kilkenny County Council to prioritise the completion of the outer ring road.
He also said that conditions on a complete redesign of the bridge which may require a new environmental impact statement have now rendered the project financially unviable.
“I think it would be very difficult for any elected member to support putting further resources into a reconfigured bridge with no guarantee that it will ever be built. We cannot justify further spend given the recently announced cutbacks in our library services, the arts, and other essential community programmes, not to mention the deficits in rural roads and water projects. We are left with a fraction of the original proposed central access scheme and it could increase traffic volumes on Stephen St and Dominic St significantly,” he said.
At last Monday’s meeting of the Kilkenny Borough Council, Mayor Noonan called for a cost benefit analysis and a revised traffic impact assessment of both options, namely the completion of the western environs section with a link onto an outer ring road bridge crossing and the Vicar St bridge. He also said that the position of the objectors in the oral hearing had been vindicated by An Bord Pleanala in relation to the creation of a major arterial route through the historic core of the city.
“I first raised concerns about the severance to communities and effects on the city’s heritage 12 years ago and I’m satisfied that my concerns and those of my fellow appellants have been empathetically taken into consideration in this preliminary finding,” he said.
Mayor Noonan said a period of reflection is now required and that all stakeholders could get together in the autumn to find a sustainable solution to Kilkenny’s traffic problems. “I believe we have now been gifted a unique opportunity with this finding. It is possible to turn Kilkenny into a model for regional towns in terms of urban mobility. In that regard, I have submitted plans for a public transport system to the mobility management plan for Kilkenny. A small shuttle bus service coupled with increased provision of cycle lanes, walking bus, and park and ride facilities could significantly improve mobility in the city. Furthermore it could single out the city as a forward- thinking municipality and make it more attractive for inward investment in new green industries and business.”
Mayor Noonan concluded by calling on Kilkenny County Council to hold the bridge project in abeyance, to prioritise the completion of the outer ring road and the implementation of mobility measures based on international best practice and sustainable development.
