The Parade and the Canal Walk

catblack

What the hell is happening on the Parade? There seems to be an army of fellas in hi-vis jackets and hard hats but the progress is so slow that I suspect a class of kindergarten kids would have laid that ugly, pale grey surface by now.

Did no one cop that the Castle and the other buildings there don't match with that pale slab? Or was it to match those slabs that the lovely old cobblestones at the Castle entrance were covered with concrete?

The Mayor's Walk side seems to be a storage area and parking space for the hi-vis lads with no work happening there at all. How long more will it be like this? If this was in France or Spain they would be working around the clock to finish work around an important tourist attraction like the Castle.

Is that awful lump of a building really going to be a jacks? I hoped it would be a tourist information kiosk or something, but someone said it was a public toilet.

The Canal Walk looks awful and the surface is like ice when it is wet. I saw a young wan falling on her arse there last week when it was raining. She walloped the back of her head off the ground. Maybe the slabs are related to the ones above in the Watershed.When it is icy, the Borough Council will be inundated with claims.

I believe that the slabs were brought in from China! Wouldn't it seem logical to use native products in a way that suited the city instead? Medieval city me arse.

brettmirl

Is it a private contractor or the council is doing the work there?

fabbydabby

I believe that the slabs were brought in from China! Wouldn't it seem logical to use native products in a way that suited the city instead?

I heard this debated on the radio (the slabs for Eyre Square in Galway were imported as well). Seems stupid to import slabs to the national home of limestone quarrying doesn't it? It's something to do with being compliant to building regs or something though.

And nic ecobbles a la design centre or the castle would indeed be lovely.

It looks rank alright. Who picks these designs?

mick kk

I have to agree

There at the canalwalk the colour of the slabs is really bright compared to the colour of the stonework of the castle walls. Have ye noticed the way that the slabs end and then they have used tarmac that seems to be covered over with some sort of slab colloured covering as you walk half way down? It probably saved having to import the slabs from China.
Also, the railings here look so cheap. The linear park has black railings as does the rivercourt hotel across the way - Seems to me black railings would have been much more suitable but I'd say the boring grey ones were much cheaper.

also, the cobblestones on the way into the castle have been covered over in cement. They were fine for the last 400 years so why get rid of them now?

PhilipMarlowe

I haven't seen this up close but I'd give the colour time to deepen... Limestone usually looks light initially IMO

catbear

mick kk wrote: »

also, the cobblestones on the way into the castle have been covered over in cement. They were fine for the last 400 years so why get rid of them now?

are you sure about the concrete covering the cobblestones. i remember the cobbles were removed during the archaeology phase. the level of the current concrete layer in relation to flagstones under the gate arch suggest to me that there is room for the cobble layer to be reinstated. perhaps that's the plan.

not keen about the canal area but than again it may look better with wear.

itsonlyme

When will they have all the work done on the parade? I first heard Sept, then July....

enry

I don't know about the colour or where there importing the materials from. However I have to agree with you on the amount of time its taking I've never seen so many people do so little work its amazing.

surely the castle was built in less time then its taken them to sort out the road in front of it.

Cabaal

itsonlyme wrote: »

When will they have all the work done on the parade? I first heard Sept, then July....

I was in talking to the people at the info desk in Kilkenny Castle and they said it was due to be finished April 2009...this has now been changed to November 2009.

If it is November then the council are allowing it to affect tourist during this 400 year celebration, cat laughs and the likes of Arts Week...incredibly retarded to allow this to happen!

domkk

This will probably be as quick as the ring road was to build:D

Purry Cat

Cabaal wrote: »

I was in talking to the people at the info desk in Kilkenny Castle and they said it was due to be finished April 2009...this has now been changed to November 2009.

If it is November then the council are allowing it to affect tourist during this 400 year celebration, cat laughs and the likes of Arts Week...incredibly retarded to allow this to happen!

Quite. The Parade really looked lovely over the Easter weekend during the 400celebrations, didn't it?! But again, sadly, nothing you wouldn't expect from the Borough Council. The Parade, the library, the Watershed - does anything in this town work?

PhilipMarlowe

Purry Cat wrote: »

The Parade, the library, the Watershed - does anything in this town work?

The parking meters work fine

Nightwish

Licksy wrote: »

The parking meters work fine

except when it rains!

Firetrap

Purry Cat wrote: »

Quite. The Parade really looked lovely over the Easter weekend during the 400celebrations, didn't it?! But again, sadly, nothing you wouldn't expect from the Borough Council. The Parade, the library, the Watershed - does anything in this town work?

It's shocking. The existing parade might not have been the most attractive of places but they should've left it be for the 400 celebrations. Or done it up about 5 years ago - that would've given even them plenty of time to finish it up.

catblack

It strikes me that no one in the Borough Council, either councillors or the executive, are answerable for anything. Who is responsible for this or the other disaster in town? What does local democracy mean if everyone is pissed off with the Parade and the Canal Walk and we have no say at all about how the work is done or how much it costs or how long it takes or what materials are used?

fabbydabby

Yeah the local elections are coming up, maybe now is the time to start asking some questions!

zootroid

Has anyone got a link to the plans, or any photos of what it looks like now?

I left Ireland last year, but am still interested in any construction works at home.

catblack

I will try to get a photo and post it here, if that is possible. Believe me, it is a construction site, complete with red and white plastic dividers, metal fencing, dust, dirt, blocks piled up, fellas in hard hats and hi-vis jackets and massive distruption to pedestrians and traffic.

brettmirl

zootroid wrote: »

Has anyone got a link to the plans, or any photos of what it looks like now?

I left Ireland last year, but am still interested in any construction works at home.

http://kilkennycity.kilkenny.ie/eng/Services/Special_Projects/ParadeAndCanal/

femur61

Licksy wrote: »

The parking meters work fine

Actually, know its hard to beleive but some don't, I couldn't get a ticket out of one last week.

itsonlyme

Well folks all I can say that the parade renovations are turning into a bit of an

EYRE SQUARE.

Im sure you all remember the fiasco over there in Galway.

Firetrap

That's exactly what it is! All we are missing are the new age crusties hanging out of the trees :rolleyes:

catblack

mick_irl wrote: »

http://kilkennycity.kilkenny.ie/eng/Services/Special_Projects/ParadeAndCanal/

I had a look at this link. I can't get over it. This firm of architects: I wonder how much they charged to decide on creating something like O'Connell St Dublin or Patrick Street Cork in Kikenny. Incorporating the marble strip like in Canice's Cathedral, of course.
I don't think the Parade in Kilkenny is or should be the same as O'Connell Street. It should be refurbished to match the Mayor's Walk, the stone wall, the Castle and the Design Centre.

The renaming of the Mayor's Walk, which had some historical significance, to The Gravel Walk, really takes the biscuit and starts a new trend in Irish town planning: we call roads after what they are made of: tarmac way, tar road, concrete block, stone path.

Eyre Square, comes to mind and no matter who designed it or how much it cost, the big question now, really is: WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG? With the ancilliary question: since there is no work actually happening in the space outside the Mayor's Walk on that side, at the moment, why can't they move back the red and white dividers and allow people to walk in comfort up the Parade. At the moment two buggies meeting there cannot pass each other.

itsonlyme

As is the case in alot of big state contract jobs there is two main problems....

the architects and contractors are invarably not local firms and hence they are not in touch with whats going on locally.

From my point of view the worst thing that happened with the job was awarding the contract to the building company SIAC.

And I dont see them on site now...they have pulled off the job.

catblack

I was wondering about SIAC myself. They had big black and amber (ironic) signs up and they have disappeared.
I think the EU regulations about having to tender everywhere for everything means that local companies cannot get priority. In cases like this, it is so clear that a local company, using local materials, keeping the money in the local economy makes sense.

itsonlyme

The sad and unfortunate thing about giving these big companies the contract is it will cost about 400% more cos when some company as big as SIAC gets a contract they have a business template that they must adhere to on all their site from start to finish. Sher them big "offices" (steel containers) they had on the parade for months cost a fortune to rent for that job alone.