Councillors in Thurles today agreed to defer a decision on an unpopular redesign of the West End of Liberty Square. The proposal was put out for consultation via a Part 8 Consultation in July and attracted 22 submissions. Given that the planning process has commenced the decision must be made no later than December 4th.
Traders in the area are widely opposed to the plan which will see over a dozen parking spaces removed and the lane outside Hickey’s pharmacy reduced to a single lane with a controlled pedestrian crossing on the lane. In response to the submissions the Council revealed that a 28-hour trial had been held to assess if this change would be effective. Traders held a meeting on Sunday morning in Hayes Hotel and most of the people who made submissions attended today’s Municipal District meeting. The proposal is being driven by Transport Infrastructure Ireland(TII) as a safer option for pedestrians in particular in Liberty Square which sees the N75 and N62 deliver huge volumes of daily traffic.
Prior to the December 4th meeting Councillors and Planning officials are to hold a workshop to seek a workable compromise. In addition, the proposed changes involving reducing parking spaces in the West End of the Square and narrowing the roadway at Hickey’s Pharmacy will be subject to a four-day trial to assess the effectiveness of the design.On December 4th Councillors can adopt, reject or modify the proposal. TII are to fund the project – the lack of a Thurles By Pass leaves limited options for the Square redesign given the traffic volumes – the N62 south of Thurles reports 9,308 average vehicle movements daily while the TII counter on the N75 reports 5,000 vehicle movements daily.
