Rural Cork town rises 10 marks in National Tidy Towns – report

Marks are hard to come by and so Millstreet's jump from 356 to 366 marks is boosted by the positive reaction from the Tidy Towns adjudicator.

The outcome gives a dedicated Millstreet Tidy Towns Association the impetus to strive for further success and retain its premier category status in North Cork. A synopsis of the Adjudicators report reads:

Community – Your Planning and Involvement

Millstreet first entered the Tidy Towns competition 38 years ago and has gone from strength to strength. Well done for participating in the Smart Village Training, first impressions are of a colourful and vibrant town with well-kept, newly painted houses and businesses.

Streetscape & Public Places

The Millstreet Biodiversity and Heritage Trail information boards looked splendid with excellent information in easily accessible locations. Shop fronts were all well-kept and interspersed with colourful and nicely maintained residences, the Main Street, Church Street and other areas very nicely presented particularly Pomeroy's Clara Inn, Reen's Pharmacy, O'Leary's Family Butchers, Capabu, Credit Union, the Bush Bar and Garden of Eve.

The mural depicting a typical scene from a horse fair is vibrant, colourful and appealing. So too the postcard style mural at the Garda Station and the new mural on the gymnasium wall of Millstreet Community School depicts students' journey through the school.

Green Spaces and Landscaping

Trees on the Main Street give a lovely greenscape to the area, the planters along the Main Street were nicely planted with a mixture of perennials and annuals. The fountain was looking clean and the planting was excellent with a range of perennials – it will improve as it matures and give a wonderful display of colour in a very prominent location.

Nature and Biodiversity

The continued development of the pollinator park is an excellent addition, the water quality and biodiversity project of Tubrid Well carried out by the Millstreet Community School TY students with the assistance of LAWCO is a positive study, a very pleasant and tranquil space beautifully maintained.

Well done for reducing the grass cutting outside the playing pitches by 50%. The upgrading of the picnic area is another fine project, the picnic area in Frizells Hollow looked very well and the wheelchair accessible picnic tables an excellent addition. So too the new picnic table in the amenity area on the Clara Road. This, along with the age-friendly seat contributes greatly to the sense of inclusivity that is evident throughout the town.

Sustainability – More with less

The installation of bicycle stands is a great initiative as is the conscious cup campaign, the smart store food initiative, the battery recycling campaign and the installation of EV charging points in Alps Alpine for their employees. Additionally, the bird boxes are made from recycled timber pallets and installed water butts and rainwater harvesting tanks reduce water consumption.

Tidiness and Litter Control

Well done for taking part in the Cork County Council litter free roadsides Ireland competition and for winning first prize on a number of occasions. It is clear that the general public is invested in this project.

Residential Streets & Housing Areas

One of the successful local public engagement projects is the annual best frontage competition recognizing the best local resident's committee as well as a best frontage for commercial premises and private residents award is an excellent initiative. It is clear that considerable work has been carried out on many dwellings and housing estates, Drishane View was visited and found to be in excellent condition.

Throughout the town and on the outskirts, there were many houses with beautifully kept gardens, window boxes and containers. All contributed to an overall pleasing impression of the town and the residents are to be commended for their contributions.

Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes

Approach roads to Millstreet gave an excellent first impression with native hedging, grass left to grow with strips of grass along the edge and trees in excellent condition. All signage on approach roads was visible and clean.