SETTING THE SCENE IN SOUTH TIPPERARY

Sinead CarrDirector of ServicesPlanning,Community & Enterprise,and Health & SafetySouth Tipperary County Council

Green & Blue Futures• INTERREG IVB Northwest Europe project Called

Green & Blue Futures.

• Aim is to grow and develop the role of the social economy in the management of green & blue infrastructure; parks, open space, woodlands & waterways.

• The project in South Tipperary is focused on the River Suir and the groups and communities who use the river as a resource and amenity.

Strategic Framework• The River Suir - a major regional asset.• Potential for development in the areas of: Sports

&Recreation, culture, heritage and Tourism. • Financial constraints and demands on public funds

requires new, creative and more cost-effective models for resource management.

• Green and Blue Futures promotes Common solutions at a transnational level to avoid "re-inventing the wheel" in each project partner’s country.

• Delivering positive social outcomes and strong and prosperous communities .

Work to date• Our Heritage Officer has been actively working

on the River Suir for past 5 years.

• South Tipp Heritage Plan

• South Tipp Biodiveristy Plan.

• River Suir Community Action Plan

• Green and Blue Futures Project Team.

The River Suir VisionTo connect people with the River Suir :

1. Restoring Peoples Sense of Place.....access, interest and involvement in the River Suir.

2. Increasing Biodiversity.....more life in and along the river.

3. Utilising Resources...economic activity, recreation and tourism.

This vision was set down in 46 Actions

1,200 participants:•Suir River Cafe July 2011•River Suir Seminar , January 2012•Tidy Towns Seminar, March 2012•Collecting Suir Stories

Community Networking

River Suir Community Action Plan

Examples of the Actions

Action 39: Mapping access to the River SuirStage 1 – Stakeholder consultation. Stage 2 – Initial mappingStage 3 - Field survey of access points. Stage 4 - Final GIS maps and Web map

now complete.

Action 26: Rowing, Canoeing and Kayaking Audit and Promotion

Aimed at establishing a Canoe/ Kayak trail between Cahir, Clonmel and Carrick on Suir along 56 Km’s of the River Suir.

Action 31: River Suir Youth ProjectsParticipants: young people involved in the Waterford and South Tipperary Community Youth Service’s Garda Youth Diversion Project – a community based project working with young people to help them move away from behaving in a way that might get them or their friends into trouble with the law.

A participation programme focused on connecting young people to the River Suir. Activities include::

• Fly fishing workshop - “I CAUGHT MY FIRST FISH EVER, IT WAS CLASS”

• River Suir Kayak Adventure• Nature Walks with Birdwatch Ireland & Photography

Session .• River Rescue Centre visit• Stone Carving Workshop focused on the River- “It was great

to start with a block of stone and then finish with a piece of art”

Action 8, 27 & 45: Networking Tidy Town groupsSharing information, expertise and Traditional skills

Participants: Tidy Towns groups in 3 separate villages: Ardfinnan ,Goldenand Kilsheelan.Aims:• To assist these groups to achieve higher status in the national Tidy Towns competition by learning from each other’s experiences and sharing examples of best practice. • Focuses on traditional skills and building relationships between the communities and the river. • Focuses on the tourism potential of each location.

Action 40: River Communities events and festivals

South Tipperary County Council has recently taken in charge a river towpath and are looking to develop a greenway cycle track and footpath from Clonmel to Carrick-on-Suir.A consultant has been engaged consultants to develop a feasibility study and cost estimate.

Action 10, 12: River Communities Arts

Projects

Arts Project to develop local community connectivity to the River Suir.

•South Tipperary International Festival of Rural Arts and Culture - Inspiring Rural Creativity - June 27th - 30th , 2013 •Sounding Lines – A visual art project in which the artists will be working with communities along the River Suir to isolate and record unusual and everyday sounds of the River Suir in a visual way.

Reflections• Green and Blue -Great opportunity to exchange

knowledge, ideas and best practice• Gives us an opportunity to explore and develop the socio

economic potential of the River Suir that involves all the stakeholders

• Great potential for the development of the Social Economy sector by learning from our other local stakeholders and European partners

• Currently working on how all the projects can be sustained and developed into the future

• Example: Kilsheelan.

Our Green and Blue Vision for

the River Suir

By 2020 The River Suir will be a major contributor to the social, cultural and Economic life of all our citizens and visitors to Tipperary

Míle Buíochas,Thank You

Sinead CarrDirector of ServicesPlanning,Community & Enterprise,and Health & SafetySouth Tipperary County Council