Carrick-on-Suir Main Street action group steps up campaign to save parking spaces 

Members of a group campaigning to save over 20 parking spaces earmarked for removal on Carrick-on-Suir’s Main Street as part of the town’s €17.9m regeneration scheme have voted to lodge complaints to the EU, Government and planning regulator over alleged flaws in the project’s funding application.

Seventy-one members of the Main Street Business Initiative (MBI) voted unanimously in support of the organisation lodging complaints to the EU Commission, Minister for Rural & Community Development and Office of the Planning Regulator over

Tipperary County Council’s Rural Regeneration & Development Fund application for the regeneration scheme at a meeting last Thursday night.

In the wake of the meeting at the Carraig Hotel, the MBI wrote to Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District management on Monday outlining the mandate its membership has given it to submit the complaints and its intention to submit the first one to Minister Humphreys within 10 days.

The MBI was established in May and comprises primarily shop and business owners, tenants, property owners and residents of Main Street as well as some business and property owners on neighbouring streets.

The MBI has engaged planning consultant, James Reynolds, to advise it on its campaign. It has already lodged a complaint to the Department of Rural & Community Development in relation to alleged ”disenfranchisement” of town centre traders and property owners and alleging breaches of Public Participation Network rules by community groups involved in the public consultation conducted for Carrick Regeneration Scheme planning process.

The MBI was set up due to its members concerns about the impact the loss of so many parking spaces on Main Street on their businesses and properties when the street undergoes the regeneration scheme facelift.

Carrick Municipal District Administrator Marie Cox informed the MBI in a letter last week that Main Street’s revamp will commence in 2026 and outlined that the number of parking spaces on the street will drop from 54 to 33.

She wrote there will be an extra 10 spaces created in Strand Lane Car Park and 38 parking spaces created in the new Stable Lane Car Park to offset these parking losses.

But MBI members at last Thursday’s meeting voiced concern that losing so many car parking spaces from Main Street will prompt shoppers to do business in Clonmel or Waterford instead. Representatives of laundromat and dry cleaner businesses and charity shops’ highlighted the importance of having parking near their outlets for customers delivering and collecting clothes and donations.

MBI members expressed particular concern about the impact the loss of parking on will have on elderly people and people with disabilities who also need to park close to a shop.

It was pointed out at the meeting that six parking spaces were lost on the street during the Covid pandemic when footpath build outs were constructed to allow outdoor dining and haven’t been restored.

Ballot

The unanimous vote in favour of lodging the complaints took place at the end of the MBI meeting attended by close to 60 MBI members.

Thirteen members unable to attend the meeting submitted postal votes for the secret ballot. Twenty-eight MBI members, who voted, supported the MBI submitting the complaints immediately.

Six voted in support of lodging the complaints but to delay this action for six months to give Tipperary County Council more time to find alternative parking.

A further 37 voted in favour of lodging complaints but also voted yes for both submitting them immediately and waiting six months.

This meant they have given MBI delegates acting on their behalf, the option to take either course of action.

Fr Tom Flynn of Carrickbeg & Windgap Parish and Jimmy Flynn from Carrickbeg counted the votes of MBI members and Fr Flynn announced the result.

The ballot was taken after Carrick-on-Suir accountant and former Labour councillor Bobby Fitzgerald updated the membership on the MBI delegation’s two meetings with Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District management in July and September and the group’s correspondence with Council management, Minister Heather Humphreys and Minister for State Joe O’Brien of the Department of Rural & Community Development.

The MBI delegation comprising Mr Fitzgerald, James Reynolds, Tina Norris and Maurice Whelan last met with Carrick Municipal District’s Director of Services Brian Beck and District Administrator Marie Cox on September 17.

Mr Fitzgerald told MBI members their goal was to maintain Carrick-on-Suir’s Main Street as the centre of business life in their town by retaining as much parking on the street as possible.

He feared if parking was greatly reduced on the street, the public will simply drive to Clonmel, particularly on bad weather days.

He didn’t view the extra parking the Council was creating at Strand Lane and Stable Lane as adequate.

In the case of Strand Lane car park that is accessed via narrow steep lanes, he argued you are not going to get people walking up lanes on elevated levels in winter months.

Mr Fitzgerald claimed on-street parking spaces were reduced on Main Street in order to get the RRDF funding for the project.

The traders of Main Street were “sold a pup” in order to get this money, he claimed.

He reported that the MBI delegation proposed to Council management to carry out an independent Retail Impact Assessment of the loss of parking on Main Street. In return, they would delay the submission of complaints against the RRDF funding application for a number of months.

The proposal was refused.

In its written response to the MBI on September 24, District Administrator Marie Cox stated the preparation of a Retail Impact Assessment at this time “did not seem appropriate”.

She wrote: “Retail Impact Assessments are normally required for significant retail developments, which due to their scale and/or location may impact on the vitality and viability of town centres.”
Ms Cox added that the Council would arrange “required assessments” through the Carrick Town Centre First plan process.
Mr Fitzgerald criticised the Council’s response.

“What is the problem with getting an independent survey done? It should have been done for the RRDF (funding application),” he told MBI members.

And he pointed out that this assessment had to be carried out anyway for the preparation of the Carrick Town Centre First plan.

Mr Fitzgerald wondered did the Council not want to do the assessment because it feared its outcome would be negative.

He urged MBI members to continue their fight.

“I know how hard it’s to start a business. I know the effort that people put in and the worry of paying back loans. It’s not easy being a business and if you take something out, you have to replace it with something better.”

COUNCIL RESPONDS To MAIN STREET BUSINESS INITIATIVE

Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District has issued a statement responding to the Main Street Business Initiative.

The Council said it carried out a series of consultations with the public, community groups, businesses and stakeholders in the town during the process of applying for funding for Carrick-on-Suir's regeneration.

“The consultation included surveys, one-to-one discussions, creation of a website, and a wider invitation to stakeholders to engage directly with the Council, should they wish to provide ideas or raise concerns.”
 

The Council said there was further public consultation and engagement with the local community during the Part 8 planning process, which took place before the submission of the funding application to the RRDF.
 

It pointed out that a subsequent Part 8 planning process for the redevelopment of Stable Lane into an extra car park in the town centre, took place in response to concerns raised during the RRDF Part 8 process.

 The Council continued that while Carrick-on-Suir Business Association engaged throughout the public engagement process as a relevant stakeholder, the Municipal District became aware of a newly formed Main Street Business Initiative (MBI) in June.

“The Municipal District has actively engaged with representatives of MBI on a number of occasions.

“It also continues to engage on a one-to-one basis with businesses and property owners as part of the regeneration process and welcomes anyone with concerns to visit the District Offices.

“The Municipal District recognises and appreciates the concerns of all businesses and property owners within the town and these concerns will be very much at the centre of how the works are delivered.

“Overall, while 21 spaces will be removed from Main Street, parking spaces in the town will increase from 546 to 574 as a result of the regeneration process. 

“The Municipal District notes the proposal by MBI to lodge complaints against the regeneration works and investment taking place in Carrick-on-Suir.

However, until such time as the specific nature of the complaint becomes clear, the Municipal District is unable to comment on it.

“The Municipal District will fully engage with any complaint process,” the statement added.