Tidy Towns Competition 2014

Adjudication Report

Centre: Castlebar Ref: 512

County: Mayo Mark: 299

Category: F Date(s): 18/06/2014

Maximum Mark  - Mark Awarded 2014

Community Involvement & Planning 60 -  48

Built Environment and Streetscape 50 - 42

Landscaping and Open Spaces 50 - 44

Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities 50 - 34

Sustainable Waste and Resource Management 50 - 14

Tidiness and Litter Control 90 - 50

Residential Streets & Housing Areas 50 - 32

Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes 50 - 35

TOTAL MARK 450 - 299

Community Involvement & Planning / Rannpháirtíocht an Phobail & Pleanáil:

Tá fáilte roimh Caisleán a'Bharraigh chuig Comórtas na mBailte Slachtmhara. We were delighted to get your impressively constructed application. We note that your committee has nine members and your output deserves great praise when we see the town has a population of over 12,000 people. You will recall how last year's adjudicator suggested some means whereby you might gain extra committee members, such as organising an open night to showcase your projects and how the Tidy Towns engagement gives the entire town a lift. We admire the connection you have made with the Love Castlebar Group and this will now yield dividends regarding vacant or derelict properties. Other positive steps are the connections with the Chamber of Commerce (Vision 2020) and the GMIT (Green Campus). We are impressed by the array of public and private agencies that support your work, as well as the diversity of the communications media used to send out your messages. Well done. We particularly commend your engagement with the local schools. Who knows but these pupils may later become members of your committee. Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. We were glad to get your detailed map. It certainly made our task easier as we went about to seek the various sites of projects, etc. The booklet you enclosed, entitled (‘A Stroll Though Castlebar') was also revealing and it contained a bright folding map, as well as numerous photographs.

Built Environment and Streetscape / An Timpeallacht Thógtha agus Sráid-dreacha:

There was a distinctively lively feeling in Castlebar on the day of the adjudication and we had an opportunity to realize its special urban quality. Strong features such as the Green and Lough Lannagh soon caught our attention and we walked about the busy commercial centre where there were plenty of aspects of the built environment to see. In many places the high communication mast comes into view. We found the curving architecture of Hopkins Road quite engaging. The tourist office and the Linenhall Arts Centre were both well-presented. So was the Fire Station on Humbert Way. The grass bank at St. Gerald's School needed cutting and otherwise the place looked bright and litter-free. Molaim sibh.

The GAA grounds were admired for their extent. These are impressive facilities and the associated buildings are well arranged. The soccer grounds looked well also. Both the driving test centre and the sports clinic were well-presented, as was the post office. We were delighted to see that there is a new use now intended for the beautiful old post office with the fine ornate facade. Within the busy shopping area several premises caught our eye, with their attractive frontages bright and dignified yet restrained. These include The Brewery Cup, James Murtagh, Enable Ireland, Just Bake, Hopscotch and Padraig McHale Menswear. They are part of a busy shopping area where the footfall is impressive. The benches nearby offer a resting place for tired shoppers although the seats deserve tending for the amount of litter building up between the seat boards. Other retail premises we noticed included Cannon's Bar, Ketterick's Fine Foods, Treacy's Pharmacy, Kilkelly Travel Agency, The Galway Roast and the Credit Union. Helena's Cake Shop was visited. We took the shade there from the warm sunshine outside. Burleigh House caught our attention as it appears to be an impressive period house set off by marvellous stone steps. It appeared unoccupied, save for a charity shop in the basement. The premises of the Connaught Telegraph newspaper were well presented, as was the Mayo Advertiser and the Western People. The windows of the Midwest Studios would benefit for a wash/painting. Cathal Duffy's premises looked bright and clean. The schools (including the national school and Scoil Raifteirí) looked well in the sunshine. Go n-éirí an t-ádh libh.

Other retail premises we noticed included Cannon's Bar, Ketterick's Fine Foods, Treacy's Pharmacy, Kilkelly Travel Agency, The Galway Roast and the Credit Union. Helena's Cake Shop was visited. We took the shade there from the warm sunshine outside. Burleigh House caught our attention as it appears to be an impressive period house set off by marvelous stone steps. It appeared unoccupied save for a charity shop in the basement. The premises of the Connaught Telegraph newspaper were well presented, as was the Mayo Advertiser and the Western People. The windows of the Midwest Studios would benefit for a wash/painting. Cathal Duffy's premises looked bright and clean. The schools (including the national school and Scoil Raifteirí) looked well in the sunshine. Go n-éirí an t-ádh libh.

Landscaping and Open Spaces / Tírdhreachú agus Spásanna Oscailte:

On our visit the main expression of good landscaping was the ongoing management of the Mall. This open space speaks very well for Castlebar's view of itself and its urbanity. It is a green centerpiece that also offers a foreground to the surrounding buildings, drawing them all together in a balanced arrangement. Market Square has bright planting, interesting lighting and an art installation (massed spears) that evokes the historic past. The colonnades of trees soften the public realm. There is ongoing work on open spaces and we admired what the OPW is doing, facing the river embankment with stone. This is a topic that local committees are enthusiastic about and we could see that Castlebar is no exception. It gives you an opportunity to make the best use of the local resources in order to gain a wider benefit. As you will see from your application form this category has been broadened and it now extends beyond mere landscaping to embrace those areas of open space that are closely related to it. On Chapel street the planting around both the church and the school looked well in the June sunshine. There was multi-coloured bunting to be seen overhead. Mayo Memorial Park was well presented, as was the Marian grotto. We admired the new town park and playground next to the Gaelscoil. The curved (replacement) footbridge is taking shape, with its attractive paving. This is a fine facility for the local residents and it was in great use during our visit there. Landscaping at the Garda station set it off well.

Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities / Fiadhúlra, Gnáthóga agus Taitneamhachtaí Nádúrtha:

Castlebar has ample wildlife and Lough Lannagh is a major habitat/resource. We note your comments about bats and swifts. At the riverside where the OPW is working there were blue tits nesting in the embankment, concealed in a crevice. We note the initiative you are taking to upgrade and enhance the habitats of the town and its environs, especially Lough Lannagh and its associated river system. Over the next years you should be in a position to pick up extra marks in this category. Well done.

Sustainable Waste and Resource Management / Bainistiú Acmhainní agus Dramhaíola Inbhuanaithe:

This is a topic that suits a town the size of Castlebar because of the additional angles to be considered. We saw at least six charity shops all busy and this is a great community initiative supporting the various charities while recycling and reusing superfluous household artefacts. It is certainly sustainable. Well done to all those involved. The bring bank at the Market Square had notable litter and rubbish due to overspilling, especially of tin cans. This category has become a more prominent feature of the Tidy Towns Competition over the past few years. Increased attention to the better care of everyday resources makes good sense. It has encouraged local communities to approach their tasks with more awareness of the avoidance of waste. We can consider how to apply this sustainable approach to other aspects of our environment, all the time thinking how we can get the best out of our resources. This year there has been an added emphasis, with the maximum mark going up from 20 to 50. This enables groups, as well as individuals, to benefit from the substantial growth in awareness in regard to dealing with this topic, by putting more effort into the prevention of waste, as well as its reduction. What this category seeks to do is to bring places such as Castlebar up to the next level where the emphasis is on the prevention of waste in the first instance. There are straightforward ways of achieving this such as minimizing the amount of wrapping people commonly use. Another possibility is composting and we find this is growing more popular, both on account of its practicality and how it encourages people to engage more closely with the management of their own surroundings. This will, of course, take time to implement and guidance can be sought from Mayo County Council.

Tidiness and Litter Control / Slachtmhaireacht agus Rialú Bruscair:

Most of the local committees believe, quite rightly, that this topic is central to the aims of the tidy towns movement. It is even embedded in the title of this competition. It certainly is a category that encourages the local residents, as well as business people, to cooperate in order to achieve the wider enhancement of their surroundings. For this reason, the aspects of tidiness and litter control have been combined together for the first time and the combined mark now available has been raised from 80 to 90. This has become a significant element of the total marks and entrants now have the opportunity to benefit more from their good public housekeeping. At Tesco's and Dunnes Stores car parks the shopping trolleys were well managed. At Tesco's car park, however, there was paper waste scattered over the surface. There was a notable spread of old cigarette butts on the ground close to New Look clothes shop. Gréasán an Damháin Alla was admired.

Residential Streets & Housing Areas / Sráideanna Cónaithe & Ceantair Tithíochta:

We note you have organized an estates competition. This must be bearing fruit as the estates we saw were generally neat and tidy. Garryduff looked well, as did Woodville (with the residents' association plaque). Marian Row was neat and tidy, with the triangular open space neatly trimmed there. Patrician Park is well maintained although the hedgerow along the entrance footpath needs to be restrained. We found Ashwood neat and well-managed. At the Cedars the grass deserved to be cut in the open space. Rathbawn Drive was well presented and Brookhaven looked well in the sunshine. generally neat and tidy. Garryduff looked well, as did Woodville (with the residents' association plaque). Marian Row was neat and tidy, with the triangular open space neatly trimmed there. Patrician Park is well maintained although the hedgerow along the entrance footpath needs to be restrained. We found Ashwood neat and well-managed. At the Cedars the grass deserved to be cut in the open space. Rathbawn Drive was well presented and Brookhaven looked well in the sunshine.

Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes / Bóithre Isteach, Sráideanna & Lánaí:

Castlebar benefits from the provision of the perimeter road (N5) that takes much of the extraneous traffic out of the town centre. This system, especially along the Humbert Way is finely landscaped and pleasant to use. The road access from Westport was well presented, with the sculpture at the roundabout. Most of the Breaffy road is well kept, tidy and clean. In some places the street signage appeared a little hit and miss. Car parks are a widespread feature of the town and they are generally well-ordered. We admired the use of terracotta-coloured surfaces on the footpaths. However, it does betray the notable presence of discarded chewing gum. The title of this category has been broadened this year to place more emphasis on approach roads. We are sure your committee will agree that this is logical. A good introduction to a place can present it well and it generates a better impression for both local people and visitors. Molaim sibh as an dea-obair atá déanta agaibh.