Railway Heritage
I fully support the restoration of the old railway goods building, it is great to see this Protected Structure being saved. The railway heritage buildings along the Greenway route are a great asset and contribute to its unique character and attractiveness to visitors. It is great to see the old platform being retained in the proposed plans.
Public Toilets & Facilities Inadequate – Only two toilets are proposed on the drawings, one of which is for disabled access. Is this sufficient for the numbers of visitors that are likely to use the proposed Greenway Hub?
This is the trailhead where lots of people will begin or finish their journey. 30 car park spaces are proposed, others will arrive by public transport or bike hire shuttle bus services. There are likely to be lots of people congregating here, can more public toilets be provided? Also please consider including a shower and changing facility.
Visitors would pay to use such facilities. The facilities at the Ballyhoura Mountain biking trails are a good example, where people can avail of parking, showers/changing, bike wash for a fee.
To promote use of the Greenway and to attract visitors all year round, people will need to be able to change out of wet clothing at the end of their bike ride/walk. Also people who wish to travel to the hub via public transport will need suitable changing facilities.
Bicycle Display Area – Disproportionate size
There seems to be a disproportionate amount of space designated for bicycles in the restored building, at the expense of adequate public facilities.
The installation of double decker bike racks would free up some space for the inclusion of an adequate number of toilets and changing/showers. Also, some indoor seating for the coffee dock would be nice, especially in winter.
As most people hiring a bicycle will book in advance, additional bicycles could be stored remotely (in an industrial unit nearby for example) and transferred to the trailhead on the morning for customer collection. It could be operated like how car hire companies operate at airports, with most of the fleet stored off-site and delivered to the terminal frontage in advance of customer pick-up. This would also free up space in the proposed hub building to include additional public toilets/changing facilities.