Back in the old days, when a friendly Co. Councillor, to whom you had slipped the ‘brown envelope’, was putting your case forward to get planning permission, you were advised to phrase your site notice of intention, in Irish; thus assuring that the vast majority of possible objectors would not become aware of your planning intentions.
I am reminded of this on viewing the notice posted (See above) by An Post indicating their move from Liberty Square to Thurles Shopping Centre, reopening as and from next Monday morning.
The S.O.S (“Save Our Square”) posters and placards previously bandied about, have failed miserably, and in the first place should surely have read S.O.T (“Save Our Town”).
While this relocation of the Post Office from its current Liberty Square premises to the new unit in Thurles Shopping Centre has caused “a huge amount of stress, anger, disappointment and sadness” to Liberty Square business owners; (that’s according to the S.O.S committee); customers of An Post will surely welcome the warmth and shelter afforded by the Thurles Shopping Centre’s long corridors; a protection never available on freezing, wind and rain swept, Liberty Square.
What greatly surprised me however, is the failure of this same S.O.S Committee to object to the loss and relocation of:-
(A) Heaton’s Department Store; En Paris; Dempsey’s drapery, Griffins, Joannes, Elvery’s etc. the list is long and getting longer.
(B) No protest marches organised on Liberty Square to protest over car parking charges.
(C) No objections were raised during the time period allowed to appeal against Tipperary County Council’s decision in the granting of planning permission on the former Erin Food’s Site; latter which once and for all will move our town centre, to an area which presently has no car parking charges.
(D) No protest marches being organised over the delays to revamp Liberty Square, first mooted in the early 1980’s. (It should be noted that thousands of Euro are being spent currently to correct sunken brick paving in Liberty Square. Latter, which should never have been installed in the first place. Is this why Templemore-Thurles Municipal District Councillors namely; Jim Ryan (Thurles Non-Party), Sean Ryan (Fianna Fáil), Michael Smith (Fianna Fáil & Cathaoirleach-Thurles), Noel J. Coonan (Fine Gael), and Peter Ryan (Upperchurch /Thurles Fine Gael) supported a 10% increase in local property tax?)
(E) No protest marches organised to demand an opening to the new car park on South Liberty Square.
(F) No protest marches organised to obtain the replacement of embarrassing Thurles Town’s road entry signs.
(G) No protest marches regarding the shameful, polluted state of the River Suir, in the centre of the town.
May we take this opportunity to wish all staff and line management at Thurles Post Office, every good wish for the future in their new chosen premises.
