An independent Environmental Consultant and Regional & Urban Planning expert Ann O’Leary gave a thought provoking presentation to a well attended public forum held on the 3rd February 2005 in the Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge. The presentation which comprised of a photographic slide survey of the town along with a thought provoking commentary has raised a number of issues which must be addressed to improve the appearance of our town.

Ms. O’Leary noted that her overall impression of Newbridge was of “a very busy, thriving town, with a lot of business interest”. She also warned that the town has “gained commercial success, but if you are not careful the town centre as a place to come in and browse the shops and walk up and down the streets won’t exist for much longer”.

She had spent some time in Newbridge surveying the town in the weeks prior to her presentation in which she highlighted the town’s strengths and weaknesses. She drew comparisons with Letterkenny and Malahide both towns of similar size to Newbridge; she also drew from images from Lismore, Co. Waterford – the 2004 winner of the National Tidy Towns Competition.

Ms. O’Leary noted that the approaches to the town from both the Naas & Kildare directions were excellent, however on getting nearer to the town centre the overall appearance of the town deteriorated significantly. She proposed that the town bridge should have a far stronger visual impact than it presents at the moment, motorists would not know they were crossing a bridge. She noted the strong design statement made by the Riverbank Arts centre (the venue for the meeting) and suggested that a similar modern design was needed for the bridge.

She praised the town park, and noted that there were some buildings with good architectural features in the town, however suggested that there were a number of buildings which were in need of additional maintenance and refurbishment.

Ms. O’Leary stated that the lack of public open spaces / public amenity space off the streets was one of our greatest needs, and displayed photographs of the Market Square in Letterkenny to show an example what could be achieved in this regard. She also noted that the wirescape in Newbridge was unattractive, and recommended having all wiring in the town centre under grounded. The old fashioned service poles in the town should be addressed as they were unsightly.

She expressed the view that the town “lacked a pedestrian focus, and this was something that should be considered in any re-design of the main street”. She also suggested that the area between the Town Hall and the Market Square through Georges Street presented an ideal opportunity to create a visually impressive public open space, and provided an ideal opportunity for a piece of public art. Other areas where provision of public art were the Courtyard Shopping Centre and the junction at the Athgarvan Road and the ring road.

In response to a question on what should be prioritised, she recommended that the strongest visual impact would be created by re-designing and opening up the bridge, followed by a general improvement in the appearance of premises in the Town Centre. Her third priority would be the removal and under grounding of overhead wiring in the Town Centre area.

She noted that first impressions do count, and a well presented town can be a pleasant place to browse and visit the shops, cafes etc. She suggested that major improvements could be achieved if there was to be a cooperative effort by the townspeople, the business community and the local authorities.

Our town has a lot to offer to both residents and visitors but there is always room for improvement.

Following the presentation there was a discussion on what Newbridge can do to improve its image. It is important to ensure Newbridge has a commercial and civic heart within the traditional town centre.

Newbridge Tidy Towns Association believes the appearance of the town centre is a key feature in encouraging social and economic activity in Newbridge and in making our town a more attractive place to live, work and do business in.