Concerns raised over Nenagh hub plan

Digital hub and residential units for former Rialto site

Concerns have been expressed over the plan to develop Nenagh's former Rialto cinema site into a digital hub and residential units.

Nenagh Municipal District councillors were last week given a presentation on the plan by Robin Lee of Robin Lee Architecture. The hub was granted €1.2m under the Regional Development Fund in 2022. Mr Lee told councillors that the plan for the Banba Square site, which, he said, was very much part of the make-up of the town centre, was approaching the public consultation stage.

The site comprises 3,000 square metres and it is proposed to turn the former cinema into a digital hub with 98 workspaces over two floors, and construct 12 one-bedroom apartments on the former Sheahan’s hardware store yard, while making the site more accessible to the public.

Each residential unit is to have its own front door and will be served by seven car parking spaces. The site will have hard and soft landscaping with relatively low maintenance and cycle parking.

However, in relation to parking spaces, Cllr Seamus Morris pointed out that 70% of people in Tipperary were car-dependent. “It is not going to work,” he said. “You can have four cars per house.”

Cllr Morris said that the councillors were supportive of what was being done and that housing was badly needed, “but parking to me is a problem”.

He said that there was a “vision out there that we can take cars off the road, but we are not going to do that anytime soon in Tipperary”. Cllr Morris also pointed out that parking was “tight” at the nearby garda station.

He asked if a cost analysis had been done on the need for a digital hub. He said there was a need to do more work to convince the councillors about it.

Cllr Hughie McGrat wanted to know if there had been any discussions with residents along Wolfe Tone Terrace whose privacy might be impacted by the plans. “They are entitled to their privacy,” he said.

‘A SERIOUS MINUS’

“We had no input into the brief you were given,” said Cllr Joe Hannigan. “I am seriously disappointed we were not consulted about the repurposing of the space. We are being told after the event. Is it a question of whether it doesn't matter what we think?”

He also asked if a feasibility study had been carried out to make sure there was demand for a digital hub. Cllr Hannigan pointed out that there was no dedicated exhibition space in Nenagh and asked if such space could be incorporated into the former cinema, declaring the lack of an exhibition space a “serious minus for the town”.

“I am kind of sceptical of the plans”, he said.

Cllr Ger Darcy also expressed concerns over parking, as did Cllr Fiona Bonfield, who pointed out that there would only be 10 car spaces serving the hub. Cllr Phyll Bugler was concerned that the occupiers of the residential units have a back entrance for bringing out their bins.

District Administrator Rosemary Joyce said the plan had to be put in context. It had been planned for Stereame but that had been shot down by the Department as it was not town centre.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

Ms Joyce said a number of studies had shown that digital hubs were successful and any submissions could be taken under the Part 8 public consultation process. She said there could be space for community group meetings in the hub, but ruled out any exhibition space.

“Exhibition spaces don’t generate an income and we have to look at that so that it covers its costs,” she said. “We have to be satisfied we don’t create a white elephant.”

Ms Joyce took on board what councillors were saying on parking, but said it had to be looked at in the overall context of the town’s historical quarter. The housing element of the proposal was a “bonus” that was being handled through the council's Housing section.

At present, Emmett Place was a “derelict space”, but when the town’s new traffic management plan came into force, it would create a new streetscape and the street would become a residential street.

District Director Marcus O’Connor pointed out that the residential units would be one-bedroom apartments, but he admitted it was “tight” on parking. “I take your point about the notion of getting rid of cars overnight in Tipperary,” he told Cllr Morris.

Mr O'Connor said the council had looked at other digital hubs and the key to their success was flexibility, allowing for small units that could be expanded. He said the vision was to open up the whole place and take down the walls and open up the historical quarter.