Water Tower 'eyesore' in Newbridge criticised by Tidy Towns judges

Judges in the SuperValu Tidy Towns Competition have criticised the Water Tower eyesore in Newbridge.

Newbridge scored very high in the competition with 315 points - nine more than last year.

The Adjudication Report was generally very positive with the judges praising the clean and tidy streets despite the large population.

But the judges, who visited on Thursday, July 5 last, said about the Water Tower landmark:

"The concrete Water Tower and the rear view of the multi-storey car park at Whitewater Shopping Centre, as viewed from the Athgarvan Road, are two prominent eyesores in this part of the town.

The added: "One wonders are there any future plans for the water tower?

"If not in use for water storage, could this structure be demolished and replaced with a tree-like mobile phone mast to replace the existing mast attachment.

"A suitable well-designed steel cladding might also help to screen the badly stained facade of the car park building."

In the past, local councillors have also suggested uses for the Water Tower in the past.

Cllr Mark Lynch called for Birdwatch Ireland to explore the use of the Water Tower to provide bird boxes for endangered or wintering species of birds.

Councillor Morgan McCabe also requested that the structure be painted with the town's name and logo to attract tourists.

Read the full Tidy Towns report on Newbridge:

 https://www.tidytowns.ie/u_reports/2018/kildare/2018-County-Kildare-Newbridge-369.pdf