Newmarket & Hugginstown Village Design Statement

Feedback Report on the Initial Scoping Meeting

April 2007

Introduction What is a Village Design Statement? A Village Design Statement (or V.D.S for short) is a document which describes the character of a village and provides broad design guidelines which address the qualities which local residents consider are worthy of retention or improvement.

The VDS is a good way to help all those involved with planning the future development of a village to understand the villages’ distinctive character and also what makes it such a special place in which to live.

Newmarket & Hugginstown VDS ­ Progress to Date The formal process towards the preparation of a Village Design Statement for Newmarket and Hugginstown commenced in December, 2006 when a partnership approach was agreed between Kilkenny County Council, the Heritage Council and BNS Rural Development to work with the Newmarket & Hugginstown community to prepare a VDS.

An initial scoping workshop was held in the Hugginstown GAA hall on the evening of the 29 th March, 2007. All members from both local communities were invited to attend the workshop. The purpose of the meeting was to;

o Inform the local community that it is intended to prepare a VDS for their villages and the organisations involved in the preparation of the document.

o Explain what a Village Design Statement is and to provide examples of previous VDS projects in other counties.

o To select four members of the local community to sit on a steering committee for the lifespan of the project. (two persons from each village).

o To gather general information from the local community concerning three important questions;

1) What it is that they like about Newmarket?

2) What it is that they like about Hugginstown?

3) What unites and distinguishes the two areas?

33 people from the Newmarket and Hugginstown communities attended the meeting. The attendees at the scoping meeting were divided into 3 no. smaller groups in order to obtain the above information. The findings of this exercise are listed on the following pages.

Steering Committee A steering committee will be established which will have a supervisory role in the preparation of the document, with approximately 5­6 meetings scheduled over the course of the project. The steering committee will have twelve members in total with the make­up as follows:

­ 2 members from Kilkenny County Council ­ 1 Member from the Heritage Council

­ 1 Member from BNS Rural Development ­ 2 Elected Representatives ­ 6 Members from the Local Community (3 representing Newmarket and 3 representing Hugginstown)

During the workshop evening, a total of 6 members from the local community volunteered to sit on the steering committee (3 from each village). It was originally considered that a maximum of 4 members in total from the local community should be appointed to the steering committee and therefore a ballot was held on the night to select the four members. .

However following that meeting and subsequent feedback from the community, the steering committee has been expanded to include all 6 community representatives.

Members of the Newmarket local community to sit on the steering committee: ­ Tom Power ­ Tom Walshe ­ Willie Barron

Members of the Hugginstown local community to sit on the steering committee: ­ Anita Thomas ­ David Murphy ­ Philly McBride

Purpose of this Feedback Report The main purpose of this feedback report is to summarise the issues raised at the meeting. This information will be used in the tendering process for the appointment of consultants who shall prepare the VDS document, in consultation with the local community.

Issues raised in the Small Workshop Groups

Group 1

What do you like about Newmarket? • The tree in the centre of the village is unique, provides a pleasant setting. • Gairdin an Ghorta – appreciated feature. • Old stable building (corner building) • The old church • The school is the life of the community • Newmarket is attractive compared to Hugginstown (a lot cleaner) • The junction in Newmarket is problematic and needs to be made safer.

What do you like about Hugginstown? • Church and school are appreciated

• Land league house opposite the church (Michael Davitt is believed to have spoken from the steps)

• Old church should be preserved – beside the land league house, not in use at the moment, in ruins. The façade and bell tower have been retained.

• From the crossroads to the church – all the buildings between these points relate well to one another

• Stone walls • GAA complex is important as the centre of the village. Very well used. It

brings people from other areas in the parish to Hugginstown. • Pubs, shops, factory • Doyle’s concrete – employs a large number of people. • Post office available

Some problematic issues were also raised ­ The footpaths need to be improved ­ Need improved lighting outside the church ­ Road is very wide ­ No landscaping, needs a greenery ­ Need improved signage – the Battle of Carrickshock isn’t well sign posted,

there is a monument outside the village. ­ Need street furniture and a playground

What unites and distinguishes the two villages? Unites: Hurling, cemetery and the bad road signs Feels like one community – schools, churches etc.

Distinguishes: Hugginstown has all the services, shop, hurling field etc. Hugginstown is the larger village. There is a great view of Callan coming into Hugginstown from the south (scenic potential). Newmarket: only has the school but is more of a residential area.

Group 2

What do you like about Newmarket? • The approach into Newmarket from Knocktopher is appreciated, esp. the

flower arrangements • Gairdin an Ghorta • Old pump on the right hand side in Newmarket from Knocktopher • The tree at the village cross is a distinctive feature which adds to the village’s

character • The church and school are important buildings • The school itself is quite attractive with a nice garden and shrubbery • There’s a number of historic buildings, e.g. the Coach house (Bianconi)

• Outside the village there’s the Aghaviller Round Tower – possibility of a walkway proposed, Aghaviller also leads onto Castlemorris woods which is an attractive area.

• Nice rural setting • Post box – still has the British symbol on it.

Problematic issue also raised ­ There is a lack of footpaths in Newmarket. Quite dangerous for walking.

What do you like about Hugginstown? • The Land League house • The old church • The old IRA Memorial • The small shop • Nice View • The history of the village • Fitzgeralds old cottage • Employment/ industry

What unites and distinguishes the two villages? Unites: • Graveyard, sport, schools, shops, pubs, church, youth club, hall, Gairdin an

Ghorta.

Distinguishes: • (Not enough time to discuss this issue)

Group 3

What do you like about Newmarket? • Gairdin an Ghorta • Existing tree at the village crossroads • The rural setting, • The listed buildings in Newmarket (Murphys & Powers) • Approach into Newmarket from Hugginstown is appreciated • Features which are highlighted by street lighting • The post box • The stable and school buildings

Some problematic issues were also raised ­ Dust ­ Stop sign at the junction ­ Road widening needed outside the new graveyard ­ No real services in Newmarket. ­ More flowers and green areas would be welcomed.

What do you like about Hugginstown? • Land league building • Streetscape is appreciated • New development/buildings – don’t want eyesores • A circular walkway facility would be welcomed • New shop signage should use local materials • It was strongly suggested that Aghaviller be included in the VDS plans as it is

strongly linked to Newmarket & Hugginstown. There are also better green spaces there. A walkway could be developed to link the three areas.

Some problematic issues were also raised ­ No real green area (open space) or gathering point (seating area) ­ Village is quite bare, needs more flowers/soft landscaping (repair the village

visually) ­ Car parking needs improvements ­ Pavements needs improvements ­ No meeting place available in Newmarket ­ The possibility of providing a plaque to commemorate the ‘Battle of

Carrickshock’ was raised.

What unites and distinguishes the two villages? Unites: • The new graveyard is a shared facility (a linking point) – this ‘focal point’

needs improvements e.g. more parking, road widening. • There is a unique community spirit • Sport – especially the GAA club (Carrickshock) and facilities • Youth club in Hugginstown which both communities utilize • Festivals (e.g. the Battle of Carrickshock anniversary) • Derelict buildings

Distinguishes: • More employment available in Hugginstown • Public houses in Hugginstown • Both have a school each, which are quite far apart

Shared Community View What the local community like about Newmarket

What the local community like about Hugginstown

What unites and distinguishes the two areas?

­ The tree at the village cross is a nice focal feature

­ The Land league house Unites: Sports activities, hurling in particular

­ Gairdin an Ghorta is an important facility

­ The old church should be preserved

­ Shared graveyard seen as an important link between the two villages

­ The old stable building ­ The church and school facilities are appreciated

­ schools, shops, pubs, church, youth club

­ The old village pump ­ The current building heights/form (streetscape) are considered a nice feature

­ A unique community spirit, feels like one community.

­ Festivals are shared (e.g. ‘Battle of Carrickshock’ anniversary)

­ The old post box ­ The stone walls ­ The school, church and the Coach house are important buildings

­ The GAA complex is an important village activity centre

Distinguishes: Hugginstown contains most of the available services and is also the larger village

­ Nice views into the village from the Knocktopher and Hugginstown approach roads

­ Pubs, shops, employment opportunities

­ Newmarket is seen as more of a residential area

­ The rural setting ­ Post office available ­ More employment in Hugginstown

­The possibility of providing a link with Aghaviller & Castlemorris wood in the VDS was raised

­ The history of the village ­ Both villages have their own school, which are far apart.

­ The old IRA memorial ­ Nice view into Callan coming into Hugginstown from the south (scenic potential)

Key Dates Ahead April ‘07 Steering Committee response to the issues summarised in the

feedback report

Late April ‘07 Consultants appointed to carry out the VDS project

June ‘07 Consultants to carry out consultation workshops with the local community

November ‘07 Newmarket & Hugginstown Village Design Statement completed and published

Your Input Kilkenny County Council, the Heritage Council and BNS Rural Development wish to thank all those who attended and contributed at the initial Public Consultation Scoping Workshop held at the GAA hall in Hugginstown on the 29 th March, 2007. The meeting was a great first step towards the making of a Village Design Statement for Newmarket and Hugginstown.