Over 5,000 sign petition seeking to save Carrick-on-Suir Main St. parking spaces

An action group fighting to save 27 parking spaces on Carrick-on-Suir’s Main Street due to be permanently axed under the town’s €17.8m Regeneration Scheme, will submit a petition of more than 5,000 signatures to Carrick-on-Suir Town Hall at the end of this month.

The Main Street Business Initiative, comprising traders, property owners, residents and tenants on Main Street and some adjoining streets, hopes to present the petition calling for the retention of the parking spaces to the Cathaoirleach of Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District Cllr Mark Fitzgerald at the Town Hall on New Street.

The petition has been in shops and business premises around Carrick-on-Suir for the past month and signatures are also being collected door-to-door in the town’s residential areas.

Bobby Fitzgerald of the MBI said the petition shows the level of support in Carrick-on-Suir for the retention of parking spaces on the Main Street and includes signatures from the people of the town and people from the town’s hinterland who come to Carrick to do their shopping and other business.

The Main Street Business Initiative has further stepped up its campaign by submitting a complaint to the Office of the Planning Regulator concerning the Carrick-on-Suir Regeneration Scheme Part 8 planning application process.

Part of the complaint alleges proper procedures were not followed in relation to an alteration of the Regeneration Scheme plan.

The complaint was submitted to the Office of the Planning Regulator’s Director of Reviews & Examinations Gary Ryan last Friday.

This complaint follows on from a separate 45-page complaint the MBI submitted to the Minister of Rural & Community Development Heather Humphreys on October 11.

That complaint alleges flaws in the Rural Regeneration Development Fund (RRDF) grant application that Tipperary County Council submitted to her department for the Carrick Regeneration Scheme and flaws in the scheme’s planning application process.

The alleged flaws relate to the Regeneration Scheme’s public consultation process, including alleged breaches of the Public Participation Network (PPN) rules that the MBI contends disenfranchised its members.

The complaint also details what the MBI regards as flawed assumptions made in the application and issues with the project’s Environmental and Wildlife Impact Assessments.

The MBI sent a follow up letter to Minister Humphreys last Wednesday requesting that no further public money be spent on the Carrick-on-Suir Regeneration Scheme until its “complaint and serious concerns are properly investigated”.

“We ask the Minister to cease capital expenditure of public monies to the town of Carrick-on-Suir until clarification and closure is brought to our complaint and genuine concerns,” the letter stated.

The MBI has expressed disappointment that the Council hasn’t engaged with the group since 71 of is members unanimously voted at a meeting in the Carraig Hotel in September to submit complaints to the Department of Rural & Community Development, the Office of the Planning Regulator and EU Commission.

Mr Fitzgerald says the group plans to submit a complaint to the EU Commission on Friday, November 22.

He revealed that the MBI has sought legal advice in relation to mounting a legal challenge to the Carrick-on-Suir Regeneration Scheme’s plan to remove parking spaces from the street.

And he warned that if there is no resolution to the parking spaces dispute the MBI’s members will consider taking more direct forms of action.

These actions include refusing to pay rates, blocking car parking spaces on Main Street to show how chaotic taking away parking will b and refusing to allow the Regeneration Scheme contractor on Main Street.

Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District’s Director of Services Brian Beck responded to the Main Street Business Initiative by stating that the Council works with the people, communities and businesses of Carrick-on-Suir to ensure that the town and District can grow and prosper into the future.

He said Carrick-on-Suir Regeneration Plan represents a substantial public investment in revitalising the town of Carrick-on-Suir.

“The Municipal District is aware that MBI has lodged complaints and objections against the investment taking place in Carrick-on-Suir to both the Minister of Community and Rural Development and the Office of the Planning Regulator.

“The value of this investment is €17.8 million.

“To date the Municipal District has not seen copies of what has been submitted to either the Minister or the OPR.

“As complaints have now been lodged it would be inappropriate for the Municipal District to comment.

“While the Municipal District continues to be focused on providing services and supports across the town of Carrick-on-Suir and the wider District, we intend to fully engage with any complaint process in order to ensure that the town doesn’t lose out on this important investment in its future," he added.

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