FOXROCK TIDY TOWNS

COMMUNITY – YOUR PLANNING AND INVOLVEMENT 60 Marks

Marks are awarded for the overall quality of the Entry Form, town/village map and appropriateness of backup material submitted with your entry. Other key issues are the participation of the local community, businesses, schools and youth in general; working partnerships with local civic agencies; works carried out and appropriate projects completed; existence of an achievable updated TidyTowns Plan. Consideration will be given to social inclusion, whole of community approach, the role of volunteers and new residents in activities.

STREETSCAPE & PUBLIC PLACES 60 Marks

Buildings: Conservation and presentation of heritage buildings and quality of shop-fronts will be considered, taking account of the design, sustainability, accessibility, usability and suitability of new structures or civic amenity buildings for all people, regardless of age, size, ability or disability. Please highlight the efforts made to address derelict sites and unoccupied buildings even if unsuccessful.
Public Spaces: Consideration will be given to; squares, parks, streetscape, paving, landscaping and street furniture mindful of sustainability and access for all. Condition of street lighting, building facade lighting, appropriately designed signage and way-finding relating to streets and place nameplates. Attention will be given to the presentation of parking locations, historical trails, walkways and access points to local amenities or facilities and the general use of the Irish language.

GREEN SPACES AND LANDSCAPING 60 Marks

Communities should demonstrate the following: The planning, design and management of green spaces. The selection and appropriate siting of trees and their ongoing maintenance, including formative pruning, watering and attention to the stakes and ties. Presentation of landscaping of all entrances to your town/village/locality in consultation with your local authority, where appropriate. The use of suitable plants for hedges and shrubs for year round effect is important as is the siting of seasonal bedding schemes where you wish to highlight important areas. The use of plant containers can provide impact where it is not possible to plant directly into the ground. To reduce maintenance tasks limit the use of containers. To demonstrate the year round impact of the landscape works in your community, you are encouraged to provide dated photographs of, for example, daffodil schemes which are not evident in summertime.

NATURE & BIODIVERSITY IN YOUR LOCALITY 50 Marks

Show your understanding and awareness of nature and biodiversity in your locality. This may include protected areas and/or areas important for conservation e.g. waterways, field boundaries, coastal features etc.

Show an appreciation of how your local species and habitats should be best managed and protected. Evidence of co-operation with expert groups and relevant authorities, especially in carrying out work in sensitive areas is desirable.

SUSTAINABILITY – DOING MORE WITH LESS 50 Marks

Describe how your activities help to make your centre more sustainable and reduce your environmental impact. For example, consider how you use your resources (e.g. methods or materials you use), in your project work under one or more of the following key themes: sustainability, water, transport, waste, energy, and climate action. Describe awareness raising activities carried out across your community and detail any involvement with other Community Groups in this category.

TIDINESS & LITTER CONTROL 90 Marks

Tidiness: General lack of clutter, blocked footpaths, redundant poles, unsightly overhead electric cables, absence of graffiti and fly-posting and evidence of control of weed growth at kerbs. Absence of unsightly and or inappropriate advertising, such as that on gables of buildings and mass produced advertising banners in shop fronts. Please note that although general tidiness is evaluated and marked in this category, tidiness is also considered under other categories including the Streetscape & Public Places, Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes.

Litter: The adjudicator will assess the absence of litter and dumping, evidence of litter control strategy, including regular litter patrols, segregation of collected litter during clean-ups and promotion of anti-litter awareness throughout community.

RESIDENTIAL STREETS & HOUSING AREAS 50 Marks

Residential streets that include Town Houses are integral parts of towns and villages and should be treated in a similar fashion to public and private housing developments. Consideration is given to proper presentation and maintenance of all properties with due cognisance given to maintenance of frontages, boundary and gable end walls. Gardens, where applicable, should be presented to a good standard. In housing developments green areas should be cut regularly. Children’s play areas to be considered with equipment maintained to best standards. Where possible individual estates should have suitable name signs – stones, plaques, sign posts, etc. preferably bilingual. Unfinished estates will not reflect badly on the efforts of any community but examples of how the community is addressing this issue should be highlighted.

APPROACH ROADS, STREETS & LANES 50 Marks

Appropriate presentation of approach roads, including the roadside verges and their boundary treatment. The appearance of town and village streets, connecting roads, laneways, bridges and cycle lanes. Provision for inclusive access and pedestrian connections.

ADJUDICATION REPORT

• Centre: Foxrock – Carraig an tSionnaigh
• County: Dublin
• Category: C
• Ref: 1212
• Marks: 308
• Date(s): 20/06/2019

Community – Your Planning and Involvement / An Pobal – Pleanáil agus Rannpháirtíocht:

Cuireann an moltóir seo fáilte roimh Foxrock – Carriage an tSionnaigh páirt a ghlacadh i gComórtas Náisiúnta SuperValu na mBailte Slachtmhara 2019. Thank you for this year’s application and for your participation in the competition for the past ten consecutive years; it is satisfying to note the benefits that have accrued to the community by involvement in Tidy Towns. The planned creation of a Junior Tidy Towns Committee will ensure Foxrock’s participation into the future. The committee’s engagement with the schools cannot be overestimated. While the map provided was good it should have featured projects designated as N (new), M(maintenance) and FP (future projects) rather than a single map showing the location of new projects only. Thank you also for the summary of the Master Plan, the achievements to date are commendable and we wish the committee success in future projects. The co-ordinated approach under the auspices of F.A.C.E. to the overall management and future development of Foxrock is exemplary. The decision to switch the emphasis to perennial planting rather than annuals is well informed; well done on the fencing project also.

Streetscape & Public Places / Sráid-Dreach & Áiteanna Poiblí:

Business premises within the core of Foxrock are attractively presented and the ACA status of the area is noted; no neon or other inappropriate signage was noted. The Gables Wine Bar and Restaurant is such a magnificent building which enhances the overall appearance of the streetscape that it is a pity the service pole and overhead service cables on the corner directly outside diminish visual amenity significantly. Congratulations on the new café opening. Discourage the use of Dutch Awnings in favour of the more traditional retractable canvas type of canopy for shade on shopfront windows. The committee might like to consider the extent of universal accessibility within the village. visit universaldesign.ie for information and guidelines. They produce a series of booklets one of which is entitled How Walkable is Your Town which may be of interest. The planned Heritage Trail is an excellent initiative and should feature a series of information plaques and QR readers for sites of interest; The village deserves a Heritage Trail given its rich architectural and literary heritage. The installation of a map is also suggested for the centre of the village showing its different elements. Congratulations on the 150th anniversary of Tullow Church. The planned murals had not yet been painted by adjudication day.

Green Spaces and Landscaping / Spásanna Glasa agus Tírdhreachú

All green areas within the village were beautifully presented and floral displays at several locations around the village including container displays on poles were attractive; it is good to note the emphasis on pollinator friendly plants and the switch from annuals to perennials; visit https://pollinators.ie/record-pollinators/fit-count/ for information on how to assess the success of your pollinator planting.the Beckett Green seated amenity area in the heart of the village boasts strong visual and recreational amenity. The base / surrounds of mature pine trees at one entrance to the golf course could be reinstated with plants. The village planters with their mini-herb gardens are delightful; congratulations on the removal of dead trees and their replacement by the council. The rockery in the car-park is charming and it is good to note their year-round colour in addition to the future Bulb Project.

Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality / An Dúlra agus an Bhithéagsúlacht i do cheantar:

Congratulations on the further development of Joyce Green for wildlife interest and recreational amenity for the community; at the time of adjudication no signs for wildlife management were noted, these should be installed. The ten new Hawthorn trees will be a welcome addition s they mature. Information panels on the wildlife amenity status of the site should be installed to raise awareness and appreciation. We look forward to the results of the surveys to be undertaken by the students of the primary and secondary schools, no doubt a Nature Trail and Tree Trail will be created featuring interpretation on the completion of the surveys.

Sustainability – Doing more with less / Inmharthanacht – Mórán ar an mbeagán:

The current awareness programme on the theme of sustainable living is broad in scope and the use of social media in its dissemination will ensure a wider and hopefully more receptive audience than would be the case with traditional communication methods alone. The three-year programme to promote awareness and bring about behavioural change is laudable and we wish the committee success with this initiative. the core concept is the prevention of waste at source and most of your proposed projects reflect this. Do try to quantify the results of projects, it doesn’t have to be an exact measurement, a good ‘guesstimate’ will suffice and use as feedback to participants as this can be a great motivator to keep going and take on new challenges. Group your activities under the three headings of Water management, energy efficiency and transport and try to offer at least one under each category each year.

Tidiness and Litter Control / Slachtmhaireacht agus Rialú Bruscair:

Litter control was excellent in Foxrock during adjudication and weed control was good too. The goal to have a road representative for each road is a good idea as it is easier and less daunting to have responsibility for one area alone. Keep us updated on the success of the planned rotation of the new large ‘Garden Tool Kit’ initiative and the Dog-fouling action. Well done on the quick response to graffiti. It is great to know of the effectiveness of the Big Belly Bins. We would like to know more of the type, source and frequency of litter and strategies to deal with it. We wish you success on the planned approach for the segregation of litter; participation in the National Spring Clean is commendable.

Residential Streets & Housing Areas / Sráideanna Cónaithe & Ceantair Tithíochta:

The majority of residential areas are superbly managed in terms of green areas, verges, roadside boundary walls and gardens, many beautiful gardens were admired. Some weather stained walls on one road to the golf course were noted, no doubt the road representative will be pro-active in this respect. We look forward to the opening of the new residential home “The Four Ferns” and visiting it on future adjudications. Consideration might be given to bringing together a ‘pilot group’ of householders to participate in a Sustainable Living project; one idea could be to run a ‘low energy week’ and quantify the results.

Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes / Bóithre Isteach, Sráideanna & Lánaí:

Taking responsibility for the clearance of an overgrown lane which is subject to occasional dumping is an excellent initiative. The first impression on entering the village from Brighton Road will be a positive experience with the refurbishment of fencing to Orchard cottages; other name-plates look well with their landscaping. Road and footpath surfaces are good and road markings clear; on-street car parking is orderly. The provision of a landscaped car-park is excellent. Street furniture in general is good however, the service pole noted above at the Gables Wine Bar and Restaurant is unfortunate for the streetscape.

Concluding Remarks:

Foxrock is a beautiful urban village which does not seem to suffer the problems usually associated with urban areas. The plan to feature and highlight its wildlife flora and fauna in many different ways is exemplary.

APPEARANCE

Overall Presentation (10 Marks)
Presentation and maintenance of all properties – maintenance of frontages, boundary and gable end walls. Gardens, where applicable, should be presented to a good standard.

Road & Streets (15 Marks)
Road and street appearance, grass verge maintenance, weeding, grass cutting, paths clean and swept etc.

Landscaping (10 Marks)
Landscaping, planted features etc.

Natural amenities and habitats (10 Marks)
Details of natural amenities and habitats together with information re projects undertaken.

LITTER & GRAFFITI

Absence of Litter (20 Marks)
Absence of litter, fly-posting, dumping, evidence of litter control strategy (including regular litter patrols), segregation of collected litter during clean-ups and promotion of anti-litter awareness throughout community.

Graffiti Management (15 Marks)
Absence of graffiti, evidence of graffiti control strategy (including regular patrols) and promotion of anti-graffiti awareness throughout community.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION & EFFORT IN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT

Community Involvement in Environmental Improvement (15 Marks)
Level of voluntary commitment (number of committee members, number of Tidy Towns meetings, community meetings, general involvement of the community at clean-ups, planting days, new residents etc.) Engagement with local schools, youth clubs etc.

Communication (5 Marks)
Communication with all ages within community (newsletters, newspapers, public meetings, email, social media, schools etc.)

Special Awards:

2015: Collaboration between businesses and residents
2018: Best small village under 3,000 population
2019: Climate Change Initiative

DÚN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNTY COUNCIL TIDY DISTRICTS COMPETITION 2019 – JUDGING FORM
Foxrock

• Judging date: 29/06/19

JUDGES COMMENTS (see overleaf)

Foxrock Report

Appearance

The general appearance of the area was lovely. There are many lovely buildings in the area and the planting in the area adds to the ambience greatly. Buildings are generally well kept and front gardens beautiful.

The streets are generally well kept but could benefit from some weeding in most areas.

The landscaping is in keeping with the area and the addition of more pollinator friendly plants is noted and most welcome. The herbs in particular looked great and hopefully are getting great use.

The wildflower area in the centre of the green area is particularly good and it would be great to see this extended further to allow more pollinators to flourish. In particular is the area to side of this with longer grass that could now be used for wildflowers and would make the area very impressive and pollinator friendly

Litter & Graffiti

There was not a lot of litter in the area but most of what was there was well weathered and had been there for a while. More regular litter picks may be required on some streets to ensure the area is kept litter free.

It appears as if the main street is very well catered for in terms of litter picks but many of the residential areas had well worn litter around that had been there for some time.

There was a big improvement in the amount of people picking up after their dogs and lovely to see you winning this battle as I know a lot of effort has been put in to this in the area.

No graffiti was seen anywhere in the area and full marks were awarded in this section.

Community Participation & Effort in Environmental Improvement

Community participation gained almost full marks. There is great interaction between local businesses and home owners and an excellent arrangement of activities and events. Also fantastic to see so many new volunteers on the committee

Full marks awarded for graffiti as there was none in the area.

No graffiti was seen anywhere in the area and full marks were awarded in this section.

Special Optional Award Category