Submissions regarding Emo

Submission 1: Map 8.7 (a) – Emo shows an area designated as Enterprise and Employment (purple). This area currently includes a wood work yard and a garden center at the village end whereas the remainder is currently in trees as part of Emo Woods. However, the purple designated area extends substantially into Emo Wood along the primary and very scenic approach road to Emo Court. This woodland area features in many photographs, including frequently for wedding photographs and is used to represent Emo in Christmas cards. It also provides one of the few parking locations for people embarking on walks in the woods. Its loss would severely impact these uses and the therefore this zone should be restricted to the current, existing Enterprise and Employment footprint which are in themselves large sites with space for growth. There are other, more suitable areas for additional Enterprise and Employment zoning if required. The integrity of Emo Wood should be maintained both as a valuable amenity for the people of Laois and as an integral component of the Emo Court experience, a key component to the Ancient East tourism programme and one of the main tourist assets in county Laois.

Submission 2:  Map 8.7 (B) – Emo:  This map shows extension of the existing footpath, which currently ends at the junction with Kilimy estate. This should be extended to the junction with the R419. The road at this location is narrow and currently unsafe for pedestrian use.  Extending the footpath would greatly increase safe access to the local primary school, the playing pitches and the village center amenities. Currently attendees at Emo National School are forced to travel by car due to unsafe alternatives, greatly above the Laois average of 57%  (source CSO).  Objective EO 7  to “ Provide a pedestrian and cycle link between the Village Centre and the school and playing pitches and secure cycle parking at these community buildings;” should be tended in scope accordingly in order to greater capture the reality of housing on the ground in Emo.

Submission 3: The gates and associated stone pillars, erected as an entrance gate to Emo Court,  located in the Village Centre adjacent to the former gatekeeper lodge have recently passed into private ownership. They are a key feature on the primary approach road to Emo Court and are of visual and historical significance. These gates should be listed as a Protected Structure to secure their preservation.  This would support Written Objectives EO 2 (Chapter 8.7.3) which states “Structures and features demonstrating the historical development of Emo Court including stone walls, stone dwellings and associated outbuildings should be retained, restored, preserved and enhanced;” and EO 6  to  “Support and facilitate the development of tourism and tourist related infrastructure and facilities within the village, in particular Ireland’s Ancient East branding and the development of Emo Court;” Register of Protected Structures in Laois number 561 Knightstown House Gateway provides a precedent. 

Submission 4: While the provision of wastewater treatment infrastructure would be welcome, this would entail additional WWTP discharges.  There are no suitable receiving waters for such a discharge, not to mention any storm water overflows, and therefore, unless this issue can be satisfactorily resolved, it is difficult to see how  expanded wastewater treatment (from the current system serving some houses in Kilimy) can be considered.  Therefore, either any expansion to existing waste water treatment plant or provision of a new waste water treatment infrastructure must first consider this capacity issue and be guided by it.

Submission 5: A detailed assessment of the risk of flooding needs to be carried out before any development is carried out. Next to the heading of ‘flooding on the table (coloured blue, under the title ‘8.7 Emo’) it is stated ‘Not Applicable’. This is not the case as areas in the village are regularly under water.

Submission 6: Chapter 8.7: I note that an HSE Health Center is listed as a Social Infrastructure. The HSE has, unfortunately, closed this center and we are informed that there are no plans to re-open it. Therefore, it is in-correct to list it as Social Infrastructure in the Development Plan and this error should be corrected.

Submission 7: Chapter 8.7.2: Paragraph 2 states “In this regard appropriate land has been identified for the provision of serviced site on land identified which would provide an alternative to one off dwellings in the rural countryside.”  It is noted no lands are identified in any of the accompanying maps (8.7A and 8.7B) other than as Residential 2 in Map 8.7(A). However, it is noted that the village plan only refer to a portion of Emo village as designated by the red line in  Map 8.7(A). No reference is made to planned development in any areas outside this red line in the vicinity of Emo and I must assume that no rezoning from agricultural use is proposed. 

Submission 8: Chapter 8.7.3 states “EO 4       Explore the feasibility of providing serviced sites within the village settlement on land indicated as Residential 2.” Part of the lands identified  as Residential 2 have been the subject of (unsuccessful to-date) grant applications to provide a badly needed car park for the adjacent St. Paul’s Church. Currently many church users have to park on both the footpaths and road along the very busy R422, creating a danger to pedestrians on the approach to Emo National School and church goers and creating a hazard to passing traffic, particularly heavy goods vehicles and farm machinery, contrary to Objective EO 7. Many weddings are held in St. Paul’s on school days throughout the year (mostly wedding parties from outside the community), not to mention funerals and other church events, thus this danger to both pedestrians and passing traffic occurs regularly. It is requested that the road half of the field designated as Residential 2 use in the draft Plan (refer to Map 8.7(A) – Emo) is re-designated to provide this badly needed car park or the opportunity to address the significant risks caused by parking on the road/footpaths along the R422 will be lost  forever. If houses are built on this area, the opportunity to redress this dangerous church-associated parking will be lost forever.

Submission 9: While it appears that a new pedestrian crossing is indicated in Map 8.7(B), there is no reference in text to this. A pedestrian crossing is badly needed  around this area in order to provide safe access to the local  shop/pub/restaurant on this very busy regional road  which routinely has articulated vehicles travelling quickly down a hill at this point. We request that the provision of a pedestrian crossing is in inserted into the Plan as an objective.  

Submission 10:  There is very heavy traffic through the village on the R4222, which slopes significantly downhill,  including heavy goods vehicles, alongside a very narrow path along a significant section of  the R422 between the village center and the St Pauls Church.  While there is a pedestrian crossing near to St. Pauls Church on the R422, including a raised profile, there have been numerous vehicular collisions with the bollards at this crossing due to excessive vehicle speed in this supposed 50 kilometer zone. Therefore, there is an urgent need for traffic calming at boths sides of the village for this road. This objective is additional to Submission 9.

 including heavy goods vehicles, alongside a very narrow path along a significant section of  the R422 between the village center and the St Pauls Church traffic on R422.and traffic calming

Submission 11: Objective EO10 states “Support the provision of a recycling bring bank in the village centre.” It is noted that there is a successful bring bank located in the village centre on lands provided by Coilte in cooperation with Emo Tidy Towns. The text of E010 should be altered to support the continued provision of the existing recycling bring bank in the village centre.