Tag Archives: No.1

Kilkenny City No.1 in National IBAL 2020 litter survey

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KKB are very proud of the success of the work of our volunteers undertaken this year in difficult circumstances. We also recognise  athe excellent work being done in conjunction with Kilkenny County Council,  resident associations, local businesses  and voluntary groups over the last number of months.

The  result of this hard work can be seen through out our city.

Saturday morning team out Keeping Kilkenny Beautiful

 

 

 

Castle Park is a great space to recreate in

Kilkenny: 1st out of 40 towns / cities surveyed. Cleaner than European Norms.

Again Kilkenny comes up shining! It wasn’t just the following sites which consistently scored so well, but even the series of interconnecting laneways between the streets and medieval area were excellent – this is often not the case in other towns / cities throughout the country. Among many top-ranking sites, a few deserve a special mention e.g. Kilkenny Castle Park and Rose Garden (a wonderful resource which was clear of litter throughout), Abbey Square Car Park (not just a functional car park, but attractively presented with planting around the perimeter) and High Street – an exceptionally clean and well presented shopping environment.

Medieval Mile Museum: Grade A. The grounds of this museum were devoid of all litter. Bins, seating areas, signage etc. were in excellent condition. Grounds were suitably maintained for such an historic site.

Kilkenny Castle Park and Rose Garden: Grade A. The extensive grounds of Kilkenny Castle were in excellent order – not just very good with regard to litter but very well maintained – a credit to the users and those responsible for the maintenance. Lovely signage e.g. Ecology of an Oak Tree, Kilkenny Park Run Trail, sculptures, seating, bins etc. all create a very positive impression. Temporary outdoor café area and water feature in the Rose Garden were also clear of litter.

N77 Approach from Athy: Grade A. A clean and tidy approach to Kilkenny, creating a positive first impression of the town – this very high standard was maintained for virtually all the remaining sites surveyed.

R693 Approach from Thurles: Grade A. There were no visible litter along this route and colourful planting close to the ‘Welcome to Kilkenny’ signage was a nice feature.

Bring Centre at St. Canice’s Car Park: Grade B+. The clothing and bottle / can bin unit were clean and fresh and large, clear signage was in good order. Bottle caps, broken glass and loose litter items were around the base and to the side and rear of the bin units.

Abbey Square Car Park: Grade A. A lovely town centre car park with road surface / markings in very good order and colourful surrounding planting. Signage relating to the car park was in excellent order – it was excellent with regard to litter.

High Street: Grade A. A long stretch of shopping street which was consistently clear of litter throughout. It wasn’t just the lack of litter which created such a good impression but the overall presentation of the street e.g. paving, abundant and colourful hanging baskets, bins in excellent condition, wooden seating, bollards etc. A top-ranking site throughout.

Banks of River Nore: Grade A. (from St. John’s Bridge to pedestrianised bridge). A lovely riverside environment with seating, paving, grassy picnic area etc, very well presented and maintained. There were no visible litter issues in the water or along the banks of the river. The pedestrianised bridge was lined with colourful planting.

Upper and Lower John Street: Grade A. There was a virtual absence of litter along the stretch of both Upper and Lower John Street. ‘Keep Kilkenny Litter Free’ signage on the paving was very discreet.

M9-N10 Carlow – Kilkenny Link Road: Grade A. There were no litter issues along this route, in either direction.

Dublin road approach to our city

River Nore and Kilkenny Castle from the Dublin road viewing point

Maintenance work is ongoing in the many community orchards throughout our city

Black abbey square with autumn colour

James green park in the City centre

last of the summer colour raises spirits

clean up and invasive specie removal on the river Breagadh, a beautiful vantage point from under the bridge

The Pear harvest s in full swing

Study of our oak tree leaves with ring gallls

 

Kilkenny achieves No1 in the IBAL survey 2016

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Kilkenny’s position as Ireland’s tidiest town has been further confirmed in the 2016 IBAL (Irish Business Against Litter) survey which has been just released. Kilkenny has achieved No1 in the latest survey  with Enniscorthy and Kildare receiving joint second.

The result reflects the hard work being undertaken by all our our Community  in Keeping Kilkenny Beautiful.

kilkenny railway station

Kilkenny:  1st out of 40 towns / cities surveyed.  Cleaner than European Norms.

 

Yet another success for Kilkenny with nine out of the ten sites surveyed getting the top litter grade. What sets Kilkenny and other very high scoring towns apart is not just the lack of litter but the care and attention in the presentation of the environment. Kilkenny even has an example of a vacant building on Tholand Street which, although vacant, was still carefully presented.  Other examples of  very good sites were Kilkenny Train Station (Exterior), Riverbank and Market Cross Shopping Centre. 

 

Kilkenny Train Station – Exterior:  Grade A.  This was an excellent site.  Abundant flowering at the bottom of the steps and wheelchair ramp are a lovely feature.  All aspects of the area surveyed were in very good order and there was a complete absence of litter throughout.

 

Kilkenny Train Station – Interior:  Grade A. The interior of the station was pristine.  The seating, bins, plants and hanging baskets etc. were all in excellent order.  The walls were adorned with plenty of sepia photographs, a nice touch to the station interior.

 

John Street:  Grade A.  This shopping street made the top litter grade, but only just.  The general presentation was good with attractive paving, hanging baskets and shop fronts.

 

St. John’s Junior School:  Grade A.  A neat and clean environment which was well presented and maintained.  No major litter issues to report.

 

River Bank:  Grade A.  This was a lovely setting which has been very carefully maintained.  The lawns running down to the riverbank were immaculately cut and abundant flower boxes lined some stretches of the river.  The whole area surveyed was spotless throughout.

 

Market Cross Shopping Centre:  Grade A.  This is a town centre shopping centre – between High Street and James’s Street.  Like so many other features in Kilkenny it has been very attractively laid out with paving, seating, plants etc. all contributing to the overall appearance.  It was free of litter throughout.

 

Vacant Building beside Tholand:  Grade A.  The street level of this building has been covered in newspapers.  While unoccupied, it was neat and clean and located beside some more wonderful flower boxes and hanging baskets which added a nice splash of colour.

 

Bottle Bank:  Grade B.  (beside ESB  substation  / box) On first impression all appeared in good order at this small bottle bank facility.  The bins themselves were generally clean and the front was mostly clear of litter.  However, the area to the rear of the bins had a definite litter presence – cans, fast-food wrappers and glass bottles were the most prevalent types of litter found.

 

N77 Durrow Approach Road:  Grade A.  This was an excellent route in and out of Kilkenny.  The road surface, signage and markings were in good order and the cycle paths and grass areas to the side of the road were well maintained – a top ranking site throughout.

 

N10 Carlow – Kilkenny Connecting Road:  Grade A.  All appeared in very good order along this route –  the overall impression was of a well planned and executed route which was fresh, clean and tidy.

The Worlds End Bar on ohn street

The Worlds End Bar on John street

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kilkenny City comes No.1 in latest Ibal survey

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Kilkenny has achieved  a No.1  result again in the latest Ibal survey .

This result  reflects the hard work put in by the City Authorities and  all our Voluntary groups over the last number of months. The assessors noted;

“Kilkenny has cemented its position as Ireland’s cleanest city –   all sites surveyed got the top litter grade. What sets Kilkenny and other continuously high ranking towns apart is not just the lack of litter but the efforts put into the presentation of the environment e.g. High Street had beautiful new paving and a couple of years ago the approach to Kilkenny Castle was redesigned. The surveyor noted that Kilkenny Train Station (Interior) was almost museum like with historical photographs / notices – a lovely feature.”

Kilkenny courthouse on Parliament street

Kilkenny courthouse on Parliament street