"MAKE ROSSLARE A BETTER PLACE"

The slogan incorporates all the desires and ambition of the committee, of course we all think that we are brilliant but you only know your true value when somebody else tells you. Especialy if that someone is a Tidy Towns Judge. Rosslare have beens entering the competition for many years now and have recieved many awards over the years but the goal of winning the county award still eludes us. If we are to succeed then we must all pull together where there are weeds get rid of them, if it looks tired and flaky paint it, if you see litter pick it up,trim the hedges and cut the grass and be proud of where you live. But most of all never be afraid to encourage others to do likewise.

Tidy Towns analysis 1998 to 2011

YEAR                                      POINTS          %INCREASE

1998                                        170                  100%

1999                                        174                  2%

2000                                        193                  11%     Endeavour Award

2001                                        206                  7%

2002                                        216                  5%       Endeavour Award

2003                                        220                  2%

2004                                        224                  2%      

2005                                        229                  2%

2006                                        252                  10%     Third in County

2007                                        262                  4%       Second in County

2008                                        268                  2%       Third in County

2009                                        272                  1.49%  Fourth in County

2010                                        273                    .01%

2011                                        278                             Third in County

Wexford Awards

2006

Craanford:        263.                 Clonroche:        254.                 Rosslare:        252.

2007

Craanford         268                  Rosslare         262                  Clonroche        260

2008

Craanford         273                  Clonroche        271                  Rosslare         268

2009

Craanford         280        Ballycanew        274                  Clonroche         273    

2010

Craanford       284         Ballycanew      275                          Clonroche 274

2011

  Craanford 289        Balllycanew  288                          Rosslare 278                                                                          

National Winner

Killarney, Co Kerry              310 

Tidy Towns Competition 2011 

Adjudication report

Centre: Rosslare                                                   Ref: 258

County: Wexford                                                    Mark: 278

Category: C                                                             Date(s): 30/06/2011 

Overall Development Approach

Rosslare is most welcome to the 2011 Tidy Towns competition - failte ar ais! Many thanks for your completed entry form, map and numerous colourful photos. These photos are excellent in showing the adjudicator the impact of the projects you have been working on over the past year. Be sure to label them clearly so that the adjudicator knows exactly where he/she is looking at. Your application form is very well presented please be mindful of only discussing relevant projects under the various headings - refer to the Tidy Towns Handbook which will clarify what is judged where. You will have to explain what a Tidy Towns officer is but to have five of them sounds impressive! 13 'active' committee members is a good number. As you say your town is spread out so constantly encouraging the greatest possible level of participation is vital. Your website and other forms of communication are very useful for this. You later mention that you have a Facebook page, this is excellent and perfectly suited to displaying your photos! How many fans do you have? Your Tidy Towns plan 2011 falls short of what is needed for a three-year plan. Such a plan would identify a vision for your town for the next three-year period. It should be ambitious but realistic. Then look at the various headings of the contest and decide what actions need to be completed under each one to help you achieve your vision. Larger tasks could be broken down into manageable projects. Seek to develop alliances and involve as many people and outside agencies as possible. Updated the plan at the end of the year to show what has been done but do not be tempted to rewrite it. Acknowledge those areas where you have been less successful and learn from the experience. Consult the Tidy Towns Handbook for much useful information and guidance is contained. Your map this year is clear and to scale. Be sure to use this to identify the locations of recent projects, for example with highlighter marker.

The Built Environment

You say that 'local businesses have helped in tidying up some vacant sites' but do not elaborate. Full details should be given here and accompanied by photos before and after if possible. Other projects listed here are judged under different headings. It was good to read that new businesses are opening. Information signage at the beach car park is very clean and clearly displayed. The village centre has a nice combination of older buildings with new infill that has been complimentary in scale and design. Brady's pub is a fantastic feature and its facade was spotlessly clean and well painted on adjudication day. The Rosslare Beach Villas facade is nicely painted and planted urns at the entrance look very well. New residential/holiday build on Main Street is very much in keeping with the seaside location but are modern. Kelly's hotel looks first-class and has done a wonderful job in presenting its facade, using hard and soft landscaping including the very attractive horse sculpture. Marconi house looks very well and a commemorative plaque is a point of interest. The French Connection is exceptional in its design and presentation, well done! The Cedars Hotel is sadly now vacant but under the circumstances its appearance could be worse. The car park was slightly littered. Posters around the town were noticed advertising the fact that volunteers will be painting the school in August - this sounds like a great project and do give full details in next year's report.

Landscaping

 Rosslare has a distinct maritime feel and may be the only place in Ireland where palm trees actually look well! They even seem to be the only place in Ireland where they have survived the past two harsh winters! Well done on planting the oak trees which will no doubt provide pleasure to the community for generations to come. the floral display on the roundabout on approach from Wexford is excellent and much hard work must sure have gone into this, well done! Apart from some very small shrubs the Main Street has very little landscaping. Perhaps businesses here could be encouraged to hang some flower baskets. The display of roses and lavender around the post box is first-class, well done on the beautiful presentation. Landscaping set pieces look well while tall trees and hedging are well maintained. The XL stop and shop neighbouring Chinese takeaway could be enhanced by some planting.

Wildlife and Natural Amenities

 Appreciation your local wildlife resources is vital in order to achieve under this category. In this regard researching and raising awareness is more important that 'doing' at the early stages. Biodiversity is under threat globally and sadly Ireland is a part of this trend. Learn why this is important and discover of there are areas designated for conservation close to you at www.npws.ie or www.noticenature.ie. Habitats of value include specimen trees, hedgerows, treelines, stream, woodlands and wetlands. Some or all of these are likely to be present in your town and they should be mapped. Learn how their quality can be enhanced through careful management. Try to list the plants and animals to be found there and recognise their significance (native, protected, or alien invasive?) This information can be fun to gather and can involve the school or other interested parties. Raise awareness through holding events such as hedgerow walks or bat walks. Contact the Wexford Naturalists Field Club or the National Parks and Wildlife Service Ranger who might be able to help you arrange this. You could hold an event to coincide with Heritage Week at the end of August. Your village is right beside some habitats of county value but your sand dunes and seashore don't get a mention in your application form! Making bird and bat boxes are a nice educational project.

Litter Control

 The 'watch your own patch' is an excellent initiative for litter control and a principle that could be rolled out acress the country!  The 'strike teams' are a good response to problem areas and times and this is a good strategy to have adopted. Do you have Fas workers to help with litter patrols? How often do these occur? Your participation in the National Spring clean is great and some photos would be nice to see what was achieved here you stated elsewhere that you did a beach clean-up and I imagine this is regularly needed with the volume of waste that is floating on the sea. The bring bank was very clean and your litter pickers were noted hard at work! Generally very little litter was seen during adjudication, well done. 

Waste Minimisation

Your composting initiative is considered under this category as it has nothing to do with litter. Their Green Home Program seems like a good initiative but please give full details as to what is involved here. You do not mention your school's green flag which is a most important achievement under this category. They are making a difference by continually exterminating how they can reduce their environmental impact. The community at large can learn much from their example. Do give full details of the composting project that is planned.

Tidiness 

  Well done on the new signage. Last year the adjudicator made a number of specific recommendations and it is well worthwhile addressing these one by one. You are not bound to implement any of them but they should be given due consideration. The beach was very clean and attractive, but a large number of empty poles detract from the natural setting and should be removed. The very large brown sign at the beach car park is very obtrusive in this location and the rusty polls detract from this otherwise attractive area.

On-street and footpath parking, despite the double lines, is prevalent on Main Street and creates a cluttered impression.

Elsewhere some low quality, cheap signage should be addressed. Wire clutter is an issue but your constraints in his regard are acknowledged. Nevertheless making contact with relevant agencies is worthwhile. There is an over abundance of plastic litter ouside Centra. While they may be needed perhaps the use of more attractive receptacles, made of natural materials, could be explored.

Residential Areas 

There are a number of high-quality residential estates in Rosslare. Sandy Lane has an attractive entrance and stock of neat and well painted houses. The Clonmain estate on the opposite side of the roundabout looks really well and the number of beautiful gardens were admired here. Cluainn Aoibhainn has lovely houses but is quite bare looking. Boundary walls need to be painted while landscaping needs 'leg up'. Many of hte sapling trees are dead and a new approach is needed. The Silver Strands apartment block is very attractive. The entrance to Sally Park is a mess with an upturned name stone, weeds and bare mud.

General Impression

 Rosslare has a wonderful sunny feel to it but the work you have put into it to enhance the built and natural environment make it great all year round. Work on a three-year plan for 2012 to ensure that your continue to make progress. Best of luck!