Tidy Towns Competition 2016

Adjudication Report

Centre: Athlone Ref: 234

County: Westmeath Mark: 294

Category: G Date(s): 04/07/2016

Maximum Mark Mark Mark Awarded 2015 Awarded 2016

Community Involvement & Planning 60 45 46 Built Environment and Streetscape 50 40 42 Landscaping and Open Spaces 50 41 43 Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities 50 35 36 Sustainable Waste and Resource Management 50 13 14 Tidiness and Litter Control 90 43 45 Residential Streets & Housing Areas 50 33 35 Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes 50 31 33 TOTAL MARK 450 281 294

Community Involvement & Planning / Rannpháirtíocht an Phobail & Pleanáil: Welcome Athlone to the 2016 Tidy Towns Competition as your involvement is appreciated. Your hard-working committee of seven members has a very professional and organised approach to the competition and this perhaps provides an explanation for your continuing success. It is great to see that your committee is committed to working with other voluntary groups in your town and that you act as an umbrella group for the Athlone Canal Amenity Group, the No. 1 Battery Conservation Group, the 2016 Commemorative Committee, the Coosan Development Group, Bat Conservation Ireland and the National Park and Wildlife Services. A good number of voluntary groups have supported you in your work and it is great to see that your committee is inclusive and that attempts are made to involve everyone in your projects. Your links with statutory and other organisations are impressive and the support of Athlone Municipal District is particularly acknowledged. However, the contribution of the National Learning Network, the Probation Services, St Hildas, Waterways Ireland, the commercial garden centres and the parishes of the town is also significant. It is great to see that you attract the support of many businesses in the town and this is not surprising as it is likely that they appreciate the great work that you do and the improvements that you make to the appearance of all parts of Athlone. We were delighted to read that the businesses are now establishing their own litter action team and we look forward to hearing more details on this in 2017. We were pleased to read about the destination initiative for Athlone and we hope that this will lead to further improvements in the town. Your communication strategy is very good as it draws on all available methods of communication and it may offer another reason why your projects continue to be so successful. However, given the well developed nature of your communication strategy, we wondered if you had considered the idea of moving to a ‘zero waste’ strategy – i.e. one that involves avoids printed paper documents? We were pleased to see that you have appointed a schools liaison officer who is in touch with 15 schools. We were delighted to read that the schools are now responsible for maintaining the landscaping beds at the 1916 commemoration monument and we would encourage you to involve them in other maintenance projects. Well done also on forming a partnership with Tonnta to provide a willow sculpture. Thank you for your comprehensive application form, map, attachments and plan as they were very helpful. However, a small number of improvements should be considered. As outlined by the adjudicator in 2015, less is better than more, so we would request that not more than 2 pages is allocated to each category in your application in 2017 – this will help you to reduce the size of the document. The map was helpful but unfortunately not at all user friendly as it was not possible to understand it without reference to your 39 page application form. This makes it difficult for the adjudicator when walking around Athlone inspecting your many projects. Please include a key in your map or a separate page which give a brief description of each of the numbers included on your map. Your plan could be improved with the addition of a quick reference table which lists all of the projects completed for the relevant year. Finally, your submission should be printed on both sides of the paper!

Built Environment and Streetscape / An Timpeallacht Thógtha agus Sráid-dreacha: The adjudicator was delighted that the opportunity to explore Athlone for the first time and it proved to be a very enjoyable experience. It is difficult to review all of the features of interest in the town in a short section of the report but we will focus on those that stood out. Many of these features can be found in the town centre with the Castle drawing positive attention. We also liked the contemporary additions to this wonderful structure and like our predecessor in 2015, we resolved to return to do a tour at a later date. The Church of St Peter and Paul opposite is also a commanding historical structure and looked particularly well during adjudication day and we loved the wonderful Luan Gallery, which is comprised of a part historical red brick structure and a contemporary extension which is presented to a high standard. Many other historical buildings of note, such as the Methodist Church, the Town Bridge, the old Railway Station, the Canal Bridge at Magazine Road, St Mary's Church, the Friary and the Abbey were also admired. We observed the heritage trail map that could be found close to these its attractions and we wondered if a copy of this map could be provided with your application form in 2017? In addition, we wondered if a smart phone app (which could provide audio descriptions of these wonderful buildings) had been considered as an option for Athlone? There are some excellent terraces of historical dwellings too, like Ganly Terrace and St Marys Terrace. Your attractions are not limited to historical buildings and structures as many high quality contemporary buildings but also be seen. The modern design of the Sheraton Hotel and the Athlone Shopping Centre stood out while the Radisson Hotel and the adjoining apartment building also impressed with their contemporary designs. Bastian Court is a very attractive and high quality apartment building with impressive grounds. We also liked the many quaint and original little Lane ways that connect the town centre with the River and the surrounding areas. They include Lloyds Lane and Friary Lane and we wondered as to the origin of the wonderfully named Preachers Lane? Your co-operation with the traders in Athlone is making a very positive difference as the standard of presentation of business premises and shops was generally very good. While it is not possible to mention them all here, a number of them caught the eye of the adjudicator. They include Gertie Browns, the Bastion Gallery, the Snug Bar, the Bastion kitchen, Pavorottis Pizza, Behans, and the Malt House. The Lamplighters Academy on O’Connell Street and the Courthouse on Pearse Street also drew positive attention. Dooleys, whose planting provided an explosion of bright colours, also caught our eye. There were many examples of good commercial buildings can also be found in the vicinity of the Golden Island shopping centre and include O'Briens and Savoury Fare, while the modern design of the new shopping centre (which includes Supervalu) on the Ballymahon Road is impressive. The committee is commended on the many fine projects that they have completed for 2016. Your work refreshing and planting public places is appreciated as many looked particularly well on adjudication day. We liked the Market Square, the small plaza beside the Luan Gallery and we enjoyed the views of the Shannon from the seating areas at the Strand. The area around the old Abbey was a little disappointing due to weed growth and litter and we wondered if the artists who use the studios opposite could be persuaded to monitor and maintain this attractive space? Well done on painting the street poles, bollards and street furniture around the town and for power washing cobble lock as this work helps to significantly enhance its appearance. We admired the new feature that was built at the entrance of Roslevin and the new commemorative plaque to the 3 Athlone people involved in the 1916 rising that was placed in the John McCormack Civic Plaza. The renovation of the children's playground at Coosan Point is also to be commended. In addition, well done on the continuing work to restore and conserve the No. 1 Battery at Ranelagh Athlone by the Battery Restoration and Conservation Committee. The adjudicator was delighted that the opportunity to explore Athlone for the first time and it proved to be a very enjoyable experience. It is difficult to review all of the features of interest in the town in a short section of the report but we will focus on those that stood out. Many of these features can be found in the town centre with the Castle drawing positive attention. We also liked the contemporary additions to this wonderful structure and like our predecessor in 2015, we resolved to return to do a tour at a later date. The Church of St Peter and Paul opposite is also a commanding historical structure and looked particularly well during adjudication day and we loved the wonderful Luan Gallery, which is comprised of a part historical red brick structure and a contemporary extension which is presented to a high standard. Many other historical buildings of note, such as the Methodist Church, the Town Bridge, the old Railway Station, the Canal Bridge at Magazine Road, St Mary's Church, the Friary and the Abbey were also admired. We observed the heritage trail map that could be found close to these its attractions and we wondered if a copy of this map could be provided with your application form in 2017? In addition, we wondered if a smart phone app (which could provide audio descriptions of these wonderful buildings) had been considered as an option for Athlone? There are some excellent terraces of historical dwellings too, like Ganly Terrace and St Marys Terrace. Your attractions are not limited to historical buildings and structures as many high quality contemporary buildings but also be seen. The modern design of the Sheraton Hotel and the Athlone Shopping Centre stood out while the Radisson Hotel and the adjoining apartment building also impressed with their contemporary designs. Bastian Court is a very attractive and high quality apartment building with impressive grounds. We also liked the many quaint and original little Lane ways that connect the town centre with the River and the surrounding areas. They include Lloyds Lane and Friary Lane and we wondered as to the origin of the wonderfully named Preachers Lane? Your co-operation with the traders in Athlone is making a very positive difference as the standard of presentation of business premises and shops was generally very good. While it is not possible to mention them all here, a number of them caught the eye of the adjudicator. They include Gertie Browns, the Bastion Gallery, the Snug Bar, the Bastion kitchen, Pavorottis Pizza, Behans, and the Malt House. The Lamplighters Academy on O’Connell Street and the Courthouse on Pearse Street also drew positive attention. Dooleys, whose planting provided an explosion of bright colours, also caught our eye. There were many examples of good commercial buildings can also be found in the vicinity of the Golden Island shopping centre and include O'Briens and Savoury Fare, while the modern design of the new shopping centre (which includes Supervalu) on the Ballymahon Road is impressive. The committee is commended on the many fine projects that they have completed for 2016. Your work refreshing and planting public places is appreciated as many looked particularly well on adjudication day. We liked the Market Square, the small plaza beside the Luan Gallery and we enjoyed the views of the Shannon from the seating areas at the Strand. The area around the old Abbey was a little disappointing due to weed growth and litter and we wondered if the artists who use the studios opposite could be persuaded to monitor and maintain this attractive space? Well done on painting the street poles, bollards and street furniture around the town and for power washing cobble lock as this work helps to significantly enhance its appearance. We admired the new feature that was built at the entrance of Roslevin and the new commemorative plaque to the 3 Athlone people involved in the 1916 rising that was placed in the John McCormack Civic Plaza. The renovation of the children's playground at Coosan Point is also to be commended. In addition, well done on the continuing work to restore and conserve the No. 1 Battery at Ranelagh Athlone by the Battery Restoration and Conservation Committee.

Landscaping and Open Spaces / Tírdhreachú agus Spásanna Oscailte: Given the high marks you have achieved for landscaping and open spaces prior to this years competition, this has traditionally been a strong category for Athlone and we are pleased to see that 2016 as no exception. You are highly commended on your approach to planting in the town centre as the tree planters with seasonal flowers at their base located along Church Street, Mardyke Street, Market Square and other central streets looked particularly well. We were surprised to see that a number of hanging basket holders is Market Square were empty though? We note that the Spring bulbs are also planted in these containers and like the adjudicator in 2015, we felt that the seasonal planting helped to enhance the town centre with its warm summer colours. However, be warned that some adjudicators discourage planting at the base of trees as it can take soil nutrients away from the tree itself. The planting at the roundabouts on the approach roads was considered to be particularly impressive. We loved the new boat sculpture at the Cornamaddy roundabout so well done to the Coosan Development Group for their efforts here. However, the tall grasses that were planted here do not appear to be faring very well so this choice may need to be reconsidered for 2017. The roundabout at the N55 approach (and Brawny Road) looked tremendously well with all of the rosebushes in full bloom. The boxed hedging on the bank behind the roundabout also looked well and it is clear that it is the subject of regular maintenance. The boxed hedging at the Castle is similarly impressive. The landscaping provided at the roundabout on the Old Dublin Road also helped to enhance this area and we were particularly liked the planting at the Cannon feature in the green area in front of the bus and rail station – so full credit goes to St Hildas Horticultural Trainees for their work here. Individual businesses make a significant contribution to this category with Bacchus at the bridge deserving of a special mention for providing the many colourful flower baskets on their business premises and along a section of the Riverwalk. The landscaping schemes have also been used to great effect to enhance public spaces with the public areas along the River Shannon on Accommodation Road / Grace Road and on Coosan Point looking particularly well with their rose beds in full bloom. The open spaces and parks in Athlone are considered to be of the highest quality. We loved Burgess Park as it is a first class open-space that is maintained to a high standard. The 1916 project is a wonderful addition and you are commended on locating it in such a prominent and visible position in the Park. We look forward to seeing the trees mature in the years ahead and we were delighted to see that the schoolchildren are responsible for maintaining the colourful yellow and white seasonal flowering beds on each side of the plaque. We were somewhat surprised to see that our national flag was not flying on the day of adjudication though. Further up the banks of the Shannon, Wansboro Park was observed from the golden mile walk and it looked particularly impressive with its neatly trimmed grass and majestic mature trees. We note from your appplication form that many of these green areas are maintained by Athlone Municipal District and volunteers so well done to all involved in a tremendous effort for 2016.

Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities / Fiadhúlra, Gnáthóga agus Taitneamhachtaí Nádúrtha: Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities / Fiadhúlra, Gnáthóga agus Taitneamhachtaí Nádúrtha: A very impressive list of projects has been submitted for consideration under this category for 2016. Your strong links with Bat Conservation Ireland are evident in a number of the projects included and we note your committee participated in the all Ireland Daubentons Bat waterways survey (set to continue in August) and were curious to know if the results of this survey were available? Perhaps you could keep us up to date in 2017. We note that four bat houses have been placed along the Shannon banks nature trail walk and we wondered if they had attracted any new residents? Your committee is commended on the projects designed to raise environmental awareness such as the live birdcam (that runs on your web site) and the bat talk. We were very interested to hear about the feral cat welfare initiative with Athlone animal welfare and we would love to hear about its results on the cat population in 2017. If successful, perhaps this initiative could be extended to other urban centres? We were pleased to see that the work extending Burgess Park seems to have begun and the continuing improvements to the canal will serve to enhance this wonderful amenity – but be sure that all aspects of good practice are observed during the works as sensitive and fragile ecosystems are involved. We were most impressed with the canal walk and the golden mile walk. We wondered if any surveys had been undertaken or are planned for these (or part of these) areas? Given the observations of the adjudicator in 2015 regarding the limited participation of the schools in your wildlife projects, perhaps this is an opportunity to get them involved? We were interested to read that you are currently trying to establish if there are badgers at the No. 1 battery at Ranelagh and we would like to be kept up to date with this project in 2017.

Sustainable Waste and Resource Management / Bainistiú Acmhainní agus Dramhaíola Inbhuanaithe: This category requires tidy towns committees to seek out new and innovative ways of minimizing waste (or avoiding its generation altogether) and using resources like water and energy sustainably. Despite the increase in marks allocated to it, many committees have struggled and we are pleased to see that Athlone Tidy Towns appear to understand it as a number of good projects are included in your application for 2016. Your work on raising awareness of minimising / avoiding waste is impressive. Well done on running a cookery demonstration on reusing leftover food (with over 273 attendees) and running a repair café. Be sure to organize a follow up event to see how many of these 273 attendees are still using what they learned in the workshop! We were puzzled to read that your committee is actively promoting the use of duplex printing as your excessively long application, plan and attachments are all printed on single sided paper! Remember that your committee is expected to lead by example and demonstrate how it is possible to achieve waste minimisation and avoidance when carrying out your projects. Please let us know whether you make your compost, grow your own plants, harvest rain water for watering or use recycled materials (such as timber) for your bat boxes and planters. We were interested to read that Athlone Municipal District Council is retrofitting housing with energy saving measures and that the vast majority of Athlone schools in the green schools programme. Perhaps you can identify some suitable projects to collaborate with them on? We were most impressed with the new cycle ways in Athlone and we would encourage you to ascertain whether this had made a difference to how people travel to school, college and work (and other trips). Perhaps one of the Schools would like to investigate this in a project?

Tidiness and Litter Control / Slachtmhaireacht agus Rialú Bruscair: We must begin by commending the committee on your excellent work on the Athlone big clean – this appears to have been an excellent event in which more than 250 people took part. We are also delighted to read that the event has inspired the formation of the Athlone Business District Team to tackle litter. These initiatives are working very well as your performance under this category was most impressive for a town that is the size of Athlone. The central business streets were clean and tidy with virtually no litter to be spotted on the key shopping streets. Given this strong performance, we wondered if these streets (Pearse St, Church St, O’Connell St, Mardyke St) had been the focus of your litter audit? The laneways were generally in good condition, but isolated amounts of litter could be found in Friary Lane. Areas that should be considered for more frequent litter patrols in 2017 include the car park of the Golden Island Shopping Centre, Castlemaine Street and John Broderick Street as litter could be seen here along with a small number of untidy grass verges. The work of the committee is eradicating weed was also noticeably good. It is clear that extensive work had been done on weed removal and power washing cobblelock as the majority of areas were free of weed and neatly swept. You are also commended on the extensive list of projects that you have completed for 2016. We note from your application that an underground recycling facility has been placed at the Fairgreen, but we were unable to see this during adjudication – with the standard plastic receptables visible instead. Is this project to take place later on this year or in 2017? Improvements remain possible. Some of the verges, public areas and roadside boundaries leading to John Broderick Street from Castlemaine street were untidy looking and in need of attention while long grass persisted in isolated spots on John Broderick Street (outside Kebabish). A very untidy bed could be spotted opposite the little theatre and in St Marys Square at the sculpture while public seating in poor condition could be spotted behind the fair green bottle bank (the seat was bent over) and beside the old railway station opposite the entrance to the golden mile. Weeds could also be spotted in the beds surrounding the car park at Fair Green and at O’Connell Street.

Residential Streets & Housing Areas / Sráideanna Cónaithe & Ceantair Tithíochta: Like the adjudicator in 2015, we were very impressed with the work that your committee is doing with residential estates in Athlone. The support that you offer them is clearly having a positive effect with many of these estates achieving a good standard of presentation during adjudication. We drove around a number of estates in the town during our visit and we marveled at the diversity of the housing types and layouts that could be seen throughout Athlone. We loved the more established estates such as Magazine Avenue and Cherryfield Park (with their distinctive mother earth sculpture) close to the access bridge over the canal. However, we were delighted to visit Battery Park, which is perhaps the most original and distinctive residential area in Athlone. It looked very well during adjudication, with its mature trees, well maintained open space (with pitches and playground) and a composting house that was not referred to in your application form! Smaller residential areas like Ganly terrace and St Marys Terrace were also admired and St. Francis Terrace with its narrow streets, colourful planting and town wall remnants stood out. The more modern estates in Beechpark looked very well with mature trees and well maintained grass areas on view. Woodlands looked quite nice with its nicely maintained green areas and we were impressed with Arcadia Crescent and Highfield with its neatly trimmed grass and mature trees to be seen. The new feature at the entrance to Roslevin also looked very well so congratulations to the Roslevin Residents Association and all others involved. The estates to the west of the town also looked well with Valley Court, Willow Park and Meadow Brook (opposite the entrance to Athlone IT) looking well with neatly trimmed grassed verges and weed free paths and roadsides. We were surprised to see that there are a number of headless sign poles in Willow Park and Meadow Brook and we would recommend that they are removed or signs placed on them. The highest standard of presentation achieved was by an estate that was accessed off the Cornamaddy roundabout, but no name sign was visible on it. The tidy estates competition is a great initiative and we would be interested to know how many estates take part in it and whether this has grown from year-to-year. Has support or prizes been made available by local businesses? Battery Park, which is perhaps the most original and distinctive residential area in Athlone. It looked very well during adjudication, with its mature trees, well maintained open space (with pitches and playground) and a composting house that was not referred to in your application form! Smaller residential areas like Ganly terrace and St Marys Terrace were also admired and St. Francis Terrace with its narrow streets, colourful planting and town wall remnants stood out. The more modern estates in Beechpark looked very well with mature trees and well maintained grass areas on view. Woodlands looked quite nice with its nicely maintained green areas and we were impressed with Arcadia Crescent and Highfield with its neatly trimmed grass and mature trees to be seen. The new feature at the entrance to Roslevin also looked very well so congratulations to the Roslevin Residents Association and all others involved. The estates to the west of the town also looked well with Valley Court, Willow Park and Meadow Brook (opposite the entrance to Athlone IT) looking well with neatly trimmed grassed verges and weed free paths and roadsides. We were surprised to see that there are a number of headless sign poles in Willow Park and Meadow Brook and we would recommend that they are removed or signs placed on them. The highest standard of presentation achieved was by an estate that was accessed off the Cornamaddy roundabout, but no name sign was visible on it. The tidy estates competition is a great initiative and we would be interested to know how many estates take part in it and whether this has grown from year-to-year. Has support or prizes been made available by local businesses?

Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes / Bóithre Isteach, Sráideanna & Lánaí: The work that had been done on the approach roads including the Ballymahon road (one of the busiest roads into Athlone ), the Dublin road, the new railway bridge at Garrycastle, the Old Roscommon Road, the Accommodation Road (Grace Road) was visible on adjudication day as the standard of presentation achieved was generally high. This high standard was made possible due to the neatly trimmed grass verges, highly visible and clean signage, clean and good quality paths (and in some case cycleways). The high standard of landscaping achieved on major roundabouts also helped to create a positive impression.

Concluding Remarks: This has been an excellent performance for your Committee and the town of Athlone. Given the difficult circumstances created by flooding at the end of last year and at the beginning of 2016, this has been an incredibly impressive performance and we heartily congratulate you on your fine efforts. Well done and we look forward to returning in 2017!