Overall Development Approach
Moyvane is welcome to the 2006 National Tidy Towns Competition. Thank you for your submission which included your Tidy Towns Work programme and which was helpful in adjudication. Your committee of twelve members has achieved a lot for your village over the last few years and well done on your fund raising activities and sponsorship from village festivals/ local businesses etc. Well done also on the support you received from Kerry County Council and other agencies. It is good to note that you have a youth liaison officer who works with the National school children regarding tree planting and clean up. Moyvane is a rural village set in beautiful landscape of North Kerry and has a wonderful ambience, which the committee should work to retain in the course of future development within the village.
The Built Environment
Well done on the mural which has been completed. The majority of buildings have been nicely painted, a few however remain to be improved and a number of date beer signs are still in evidence on buildings. The proposed village information board with maps is an excellent idea and should also highlight local walks in the surrounding countryside. The installation of townland signs is valuable as these names can easily get lost with the passage of time, it is good to note that your proposed street names will be bi-lingual, your planned information board for your Lime Kiln Project will be complemented with the erection of an information board also.
Landscaping
Well done on the maintenance of green areas, shrubberies and flower beds again this year. Your work for the replacement for damaged trees has been noted and new flower displays were in full bloom at the time of our visit. The addition of 350 hardwood trees (On The Nature Trail Walk) is excellent as it will provide valuable heritage for future generations and increase the diversity of wildlife habitats in the short term. The proposed shrubberies at the sports fields area should be of native species as these will sit in better with plants from the surrounding countryside. Avoid the over use of flower displays in favour of permanent planting such as trees and shrubs and where possible these should be native.
Wildlife and Natural Amenities
You are correct regarding the increase of habitat diversity, which can be expected, with the addition of the 350 hardwood trees on your nature walk. Your wildlife garden is an attractive development and informative with its information boards here and was admired. The committee is making great strides in the task of promoting awareness of wildlife in Moyvane, this is important in the event of further development that could pose a threat to wildlife.
Litter Control
Litter control was excellent at the time of our visit and we note your regular litter clean ups which involve local school children, the youth club and residents; a big thank you is due to all concerned. Well done for taking responsibility for the maintenance of your recycling facility. No doubt your litter picking involve the segregation of litter for recycling.
Waste Minimisation
Your activities regarding waste minimisation are noted and particularly your use of newsletters and flyers and of course your moybane.com website. The segregation of waste is vital of course to the recycling effort. Your plans for composting are noted, perhaps you could invite a guest speaker from Kerry County Council to address a public meeting on household composting and the valuable contribution this can make. Ultimately your goal should be to reduce the amount of waste generated by each sector of the community in addition to collecting and segregating for recycling.
Tidiness
Weed control appeared to be quite weak in Moyvane on adjudication day as weed growth was apparent almost everywhere. We note from your submission that this is the responsibility of Kerry Count Council and is supplemented by Tidy Towns members however it might be necessary for the Tidy Towns to take full responsibility for it. A number of derelict sites were in evidence also and again we note that you have been in contact with owners encouraging them to improve them even as an interim measure pending redevelopment. We wish you well in your long-term project in the ducting of overhead service cables.
Residential Areas
Again we note the importance of your newsletters for communicating Tidy Towns goals and objectives particularly in relation to the presentation of residential areas. No doubt you encourage householders to take responsibility for areas immediately outside their boundary walls together with common green open spaces within their own areas. At the time of adjudication work was in progress for a new housing development and some other new developments had not yet been landscaped. Encourage new residents to participate in life of the community in general and in particular to become involved in Tidy Towns.
Roads, Streets and Back Areas
Some stretches of roads are in need of resurfacing and many stretches of road edge were in need of rehabilitation also. A lot of poor curtilage and forecourt areas to premises are a feature of Moybane. It is good to note that you have come to an agreement with Kerry County Council on a five-year plan for the refurbishment of roads and footpaths with in the village. We wish you well regarding the resurfacing of the church car park at some stage in the future, good luck also again with the ducting of overhead service cables.
General Impression
Moyvane is an attractive village with fine natural amenities to serve the community and one where the committee is aware of the value of wildlife in particular. The problem of litter control is one shared with most towns and villages in the competition. As regards dereliction current property values are ensuring that this is fast disappearing from the built environment of our towns hopefully this will be the case with Moyvane.
