Adjudication Report

Marks Awarded (of 400 available) 253 (231 in 2005)

Overall Development Approach:
The adjudicator would like to welcome Newbridge to the 2006 Tidy Towns Competition. The documentation submitted with your entry was superbly presented, clear, detailed and very well written. This is probably the best submission that this adjudicator has had the pleasure of reading. Your Tidy Towns Committee seems to have a very clear vision for the future of Newbridge. The 2003 – 2008 Tidy Towns Plan like the other documentation, is precise and action driven. It is now time to advance this Plan to cover the period 2007 to 2009 or 2011. Your work has extremely strong agency support and good financial backing. Newbridge in the Tidy Towns context seems to operate a very good public relations campaign and telling people what you are doing and going to do is essential.

The Built Environment:
Your involvement in the Main Street / Edward Street sub-Committee is vitally important and we will be interested to learn of any proposals coming from that group in due course. The adjudicator was most interested to see that you meet with developers to discuss the needs of Newbridge in environmental terms from new developments. Do you also meet the developers of new housing estates? Early intervention here in the planning process is essential.

It is great to see that the White Water Shopping Centre is now completed and the Plaza area outside the main entrance is impressive. Nearby an interesting new smaller Square like retail area has been created by the entrance to the new car park. Commendable restraint has been shown here in terms of retail signage.

The refurbished Liffey Bridge makes a confident modern positive statement about Newbridge as you approach from the Dublin side. The Whitewater Café mentioned in your documentation was examined. This is indeed a well restored building but the window blinds at first floor level and what appears to be a blind at ground floor level detract a little from the overall appearance.
The Railway Station was also visited but there did not seem to be any obvious evidence either in the large car park of on the platform area of the Phase 1 works being underway.

Signage improvements are required on quite a number of premises and the Ballymany Shopping Centre signage is reflective of earlier standards in design and signage. Have you considered running a programme with the Local Authority to encourage the owners of retail property to change where necessary their signage to reflect more acceptable presentations?

At the Church of Ireland Church the triangular area in front is quite untidy with a rusty Stop sign and badly broken kerbing. This area would make an excellent landscaping project and this road junction. The area across from the church would benefit from road kerbing and surfacing with access for car parking for church services.

The Post Office building in the opinion of this adjudicator is a dull uninteresting building in architectural terms and Newbridge deserves a modern building that is reflective of a progressive An Post. In the meantime the green areas on the frontage need to be re-painted and the window frames sanded down and re-varnished. The Marble on the frontage needs to be washed.

At the school opposite the church by the bridge the rusty green railings need to be re-painted. The 1914 Newbridge National Schools caught the eye with the lovely crisp clean red brick and the window boxes.

At the Bank of Ireland premises the white railing needs to be painted. Is this railing really necessary? Some older shop-fronts survive in Newbridge and these include the T.J. McCabe premises. It is noted that this building has been sold but it is important that the traditional features of this frontage are preserved in any redevelopment of the building that might be planned.

The new Credit Union building provides an interesting keynote entrance building to the core of the town from the Kildare side.

Landscaping:
It is most encouraging to read that Newbridge is carefully implementing the Dr. Christie Boylan landscaping plan for the town. The replanting at the Garda Station is effective, and it is great to see that the Newbridge in Bloom concept has been extended. The circular colourful planters along the main street are highly effective and the scale of what you have done in this regard is correct.
The presentation of the Town Park was extremely impressive; the area was litter free but some of the seats need to be repainted. How lucky the people of Newbridge are to have such a great amenity. The new signage here is very informative.

Excellent landscaping was noted at the Ballymany Stud entrance and at the Wyeth property. Fine landscaping was also noted opposite the Ulster Bank.

Wildlife and Natural Amenities:
The Liffey Valley Amenity Area and Park has been referred to elsewhere in this Report. It is such a beautiful relaxing area. It is a pity that the Cherry Tree is no more and this makes the commemoration stone a little out of place.

Newbridge is lucky to have three other wildlife areas all within easy reach of the town. Has your committee considered carrying out a wildlife survey of the general Newbridge area in cooperation with the schools and The Heritage Council?

Litter Control:
The adjudicator wishes you well in you campaign to have a full-time litter warden appointed for Newbridge. The town certainly needs such a service and the adjudicator feels sure that this would also be seen as an endorsement of the great work done to date by the Tidy Towns Committee to generate litter awareness in Newbridge. The Newbridge IBAL Report has been considered and it is great to see that the schools here have done so well. The new litter bins are of a good design and the crisp clean lines were admired. Quite a lot of litter was noted on the Green Road and on the main approach roads. However considering that the adjudication visit was carried out very early on a Saturday morning before street cleaning had started the litter situation was not out of hand. Litter was noted on the Main Street but not to a serious extent.

Waste Minimisation:
This is a new category in the Tidy Towns Competition introduced in 2006. The purpose of this new category is to encourage Tidy Towns Committees and the community that they support to get involved in projects that will reduce waste and encourage recycling. Marks can be gained by Newbridge for the promotion of best practice. This can include community guidance on methods of reducing waste, segregating litter during clean up events. You could also consider a partnership with local firms and businesses to encourage them to reduce unnecessary waste. Your committee, the schools and other organisations have done really excellent work on waste minimisation. The use of your website to alert people to the waste reduction possibilities is excellent. We look forward to hearing of further progress in this regard for 2007.

Tidiness:
As you have identified advertising signage on the two main approach roads looks quite untidy. The adjudicator is of the view that signage that does not have Planning Permission or other Local Authority approval should be removed by that Authority without delay. Your main approach roads are so superbly presented it is unfortunate to have this great work diminished by signage. An untidy area was noted across the road from the Maxol Garage on the Kildare approach road. On the Kilcullen road out of Newbridge it is recommended that the low concrete wall on the left be painted a dark colour. Ideally this should be replaced by a low stone wall that will match the existing stone wall a little further out.

Residential Areas:
A number of the Newbridge estates were visited. The Grange has many young trees and add to what is a good estate layout. Good planting was noted at The Maples and Weston estates though some pavement damage was noted here. An attractive terrace of brick houses on the left on Station Road caught the eye and this may be older houses.

Verge damage at the entrance to Piercetown estate needs early attention, and some road boundary walls also need to be painted. Pairc Mhuire has an extremely large open green space and the grass here is so well maintained. Congratulations to those involved – it is such a very large area to cut!

On the Station road going towards the Station on the right excellent roadside house and verge presentations were noted. In a town the size of Newbridge that has so many housing estates it is not possible in one paragraph to sum up all estates in the town in terms of overall presentation. However the following recommendations are offered by the adjudicator who suggests that the Tidy Towns Committee bring the these points to the attention of all estates in Newbridge.

Road boundary walls will probably need to be painted twice each year especially on busy roads.
Gable end walls though sometimes difficult to paint should be painted when the rest of the house is being painted.
Timber fencing will require treatment at least twice per year.
All estates should be encouraged to provide entrance name signs and directional signage within the estate.
Green open space grass areas will need to be cut frequently if a quality presentation is to be achieved. Remember that grass will probably have to be cut back from the top of kerbing by hand. The provision of a few well chosen trees can often transform an open space.
Areas to the back of estates can sometimes become dumping areas for cut grass and other materials.
Simple landscaping at individual houses can often be very effective if the proper trees and shrubs are planted.
By their nature estates can sometimes have litter control problems and this must be addressed by each individual estate in the town.

Roads, Streets and Back Areas:The Kildare approach road from the very attractive racing them roundabout to Maxol was excellently presented and created a great welcome to Newbridge. From Maxol in verges need more frequent attention and some untidy spaces need to be cleaned up. The long low wall on the Kilcullen R.416 approach has been referred to elsewhere in this Report.

On the Naas road the presentation was again really excellent. The narrow lush green verges with the low hedging and the high tall mature trees behind create a great impression for the visitor. The sponsors of your two main approach roads are to be highly commended for their major contribution to Newbridge. Very good landscaping is a feature of the Station Road approach.

General Impression:Newbridge is a friendly impressive town and your Tidy Towns Committee is commended for their highly structured, well organised and committed approach that they adopt to the presentation of the town. Good luck in your 2007 projects.

Second Round Adjudication

There was evidence of litter on the Naas approach to the town, and a light scattering was evident in the town centre area. Quite a deal more was apparent to the open space near Woodies. The Naas road was well maintained but the grass was a little patchy due to the long spell of fine weather experienced this summer. The nameplate sign appeared a little grubby.

The unusual statuary was admired at the attractive church and well maintained grounds. The new Liffey Bridge makes an impact and looked sleek and modern. The main streets were well presented on the whole, with a wealth of floral displays near the bridge.

The riverside area incorporating a nature trail and Liffeyside Walk looked well and must be a fine amenity to have so close to the town centre.

The simple Art Deco building incorporating the library was greatly admired but was in need of a fresh coat of paint.The new modern Riverbank complex was also admired. Newbridge House pubic house looked well with cheerful window boxes and hanging baskets filled with petunias. It was quite fresh and laudably retained its original sash windows.
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The followingn points were made by Newbridge Tidy Towns Association in a meeting with the Town Council on the 10th October 2006.




At a meeting with Droichead Nua Town Council 10th October 2006 at 7.00 pm., the Tidy Towns Competition Report 2006 was on the Agenda, and The Tidy Towns Association were invited to make a presentation on the issues / opportunities for improvement raised by the adjudicators.

These are the points raised by the Tidy Towns Association.

Overall Development Approach
The development plan we will submit will include any issues that the Town Council undertake to address as a result of this meeting. The quality of the development plan we prepare relies in no small measure on the Local Area Plan, and commitments made by both KCC & DNTC.

Some Suggestions on what could be tackled:-

Town Centre Area
The project / study to progress the plan to Rejuvenation of Main Street / Edward Street (a proposal made by the Town Council earlier this year) and a commitment given that there would be consultation regarding proposals. This study needs to address issues such as street trees, street furniture, de-cabling, general appearance of buildings etc. etc.

The Market Square is an area with lots of potential; this area will remain regardless of the fate of the former courthouse site which lies behind it. Consider upgrading street furniture, and implementing a landscaping programme in this area.

The Town Hall re-development would create a focal point for the town, crossing through Georges Street, to Market Square.

Ensure that bridge is maintained to its current high standard, re-painting needs to be organised where necessary, and any damage done to structure, railings or woodwork needs to be repaired as soon as possible following a report of same. Lights will need to be replaced as necessary as bulbs fail.

Councillors could liaise with Planning Department in KCC to ensure that the current list of older shop-fronts and protected structures survive in Newbridge.
Improving the Views of the River

The Riverbank from the Bridge to the College needs to be addressed, the “scrub” type trees need to be removed, and a modern walkway constructed along the “Rowan Terrace / Canning Place” side of the river. Current trees would need to be removed and replaced with suitable “street” trees as part of this project.

Consider opening up the view of the Liffey in the area between the Gables and Cox’s, this would involve removal of the bank, thinning the trees etc.

Footpaths
While there have been very significant improvements in footpaths during the last year, some footpaths will need to be addressed, among these is the kerbing in front of St. Patrick’s Church, and the “rough” un-tarred area across from the St. Patrick’s Church.

Approach Roads
We are very fortunate that Wyeth Medica, Ballymany & Old Connell Studs maintain their road frontage to such a high standard.

At the school opposite the church by the bridge the rusty green railings need to be re-painted. These railings should be removed, due to their design and composition they will tend to rust and will forever need repainting. However there is a health & safety issue if they are removed, consider replacing railings with low maintenance railings or stainless steel. One of the problems here is the amount of dirt and dust thrown up by passing vehicles, would a planned steam cleaning rota be possible.

Improve the approach road from the Kilcullen direction (see also improving the Views of the River).

Grass verges and trees need pruning in places, nameplate signage on entering the town can be a little grubby, and should be part of a planned cleaning programme.

On the Kilcullen road out of Newbridge it is recommended that the low concrete wall on the left be painted a dark colour (this wall runs from the bridge to the watering gates). Ideally this should be replaced by a low stone wall that will match the existing stone wall a little further out. It has been suggested previously that a railing be erected on top of this wall as a feature (also improves safety as the park is considerably higher than the new road).

Town Car park
The car park could benefit from some upgrading; items which could be addressed are improved landscaping, litter control etc.

Signage
This is not the first time signage has been raised as an issue to be addressed. The main approach roads are so superbly presented it is unfortunate to have this great work diminished by signage which looks very untidy. Signage throughout the town has been called into question in the report.

This is a planning issue and the Council has the authority to regulate signage.

Conduct a signage survey, remove illegal or rusty signage, strictly limit signage permits, and standardise signage colour and size where the erection of signage is deemed appropriate.

Continue with the street name signage introduced with the initial pay parking project, expand this to include town lands – Moorefield, Morristown, Connell, Cornelscourt, Roseberry etc. Introduce these name plates (with Town Council logo) to residential areas (impose duty on developers to erect these in future planning permissions granted).

Consider attractive “informational signage” on important buildings, or buildings with historic interest.

Landscaping
Consider locations for the erection of pieces of public sculpture – we would sugest the green area outside the Patrician Secondary School, and outside the Town Hall when it is re-developed, as ideal locations for this.

That a Professional Landscaper be engaged to survey the town, with a view to continuing with the tree planting programme, and to identify areas where landscaping could be enhanced or improved in the town generally in a report to the Town Council. We suggest that this study could be carried out under the supervision of Mr. Simon Wallace.

In relation to street trees there is a need to consider having a grid at path level which will allow trees to develop without disturbing footpath.

The Adjudicator noted that the “circular colourful planters along the main street are highly effective”, we hope the Town Council will continue to support the expansion of Newbridge in Bloom.

Waste Minimisation
This is a new category in the Tidy Towns Competition introduced in 2006. The purpose of this new category is to encourage Tidy Towns Committees and the community that they support to get involved in projects that will reduce waste and encourage recycling.

Marks can be gained by Newbridge for the promotion of best practice.

What hope a civic amenity site for Newbridge?

Litter Control / Tidiness
Litter & Tidiness are linked, and improvement in one will invariably result in an improvement in the other, this is the major area where KCC can have an input to the next report.

Purchase a modern footpath / street sweeper (similar to the one in Naas), and have it continuously cleaning all streets including side streets.

The time for persuasion, cajoling and “education” on the litter issue has passed; there are numerous points (44) to be gained in the litter / tidiness categories. Generally Businesses are “pro-active regarding their frontage. Stricter enforcement would result in probable savings in cleanup costs. A Full time litter warden with the authority to act against individuals who litter is necessary.

The new litter bins are of a good design and are functional however they need to be “serviced”, repaired and cleaned to maintain their appearance and effectiveness.

Litter Warden needs also to address growing graffiti problem in the town.

Wildlife and Natural Amenities
The Liffey Valley Amenity Area and Park needs to be finished off once and for all.

The adjudicator suggested carrying out a wildlife survey of the general Newbridge area; we hope to contact KCC’s Heritage Officer Brigid Loughlin for advice in this regard.

We have ordered a replacement cherry tree to replace the one destroyed by persons unknown during the summer..

Residential Areas
A number of the Newbridge estates were visited, and the adjudicator’s comments were generally very positive.

Uniform signage at estate entrances would be an attractive feature.

Green open space grass areas within estates are generally cut reasonably frequently, however the road frontage is often left uncut which takes from the general appearance of the town.

It would be very helpful if during the planning process, the landscaping requirements of the proposed development be agreed with the developer as part of the “grant” of planning permission, rather that comments such as “landscaping to be agreed to the satisfaction of the Council”. It would also be helpful if there was a time limit for completing the landscaping in residential estates / commercial developments.