Bike share scheme, solar panels and energy use projects planned

A solar farm and bike share scheme solar panels in public buildings, electric vehicle charging units and water fountains are some of the measures being looked at by Westmeath County Council to help combat climate change. A climate action officer has been appointed and will be advising on how to save energy.

Jonathan Deane, senior engineer with the council, outlined these and other measures being adopted at the October meeting of the council.

He said that solar PV panels were planned for council buildings in Mullingar and Athlone once planning permission and SEAI funding are secured, and then they will look to put them in other council facilities. They have been given a grant to monitor energy usage in the civic buildings in Athlone and in the regional sports centre and it is intended to roll this out to other facilities, including Belvedere House and Gardens, next year.

The solar farm project is soon going to the Part 8 stage of the planning process, which will involve public consultation.

The council is looking at putting EV charging units in Athlone and Mullingar to complement the public charging system throughout the county.

All new housing stock has to be energy efficient and the council are in a €3m midlands retrofit pilot scheme that will benefit 150 properties in the county.

They have four water fountains along the River Shannon and one on the Athlone greenway and are looking at five locations in Mullingar.

The Active Travel initiative to get people cycling or walking to work, school or college, has been introduced in Mullingar and Athlone. It’s a five-year programme and the first stage will start in Ardmore Road, Mullingar, in November.

A nine-month bike sharing pilot scheme is coming to Mullingar from March.

Some 30 bikes will be provided around the town and people can find out where they are and hire them for €1 an hour using an app.

The scheme will be sponsored and underwritten by the council, but they are confident it will be a success and will be extended to other areas.

It has not been tried in any other town like Mullingar, but because of the geometry of the town, they council is confident it will pay for itself, Mr Deane said.

He stressed that these are only some of the initiatives being considered by the council and they are also looking at plastic recycling and eliminating the use of herbicides.

Cllr Hazel Smyth was "thrilled with what was presented to us today, we really are taking a leadership role in adapting to the climate crisis", but warned "we’ve no time to waste".

She said there was 100pc funding for native tree planting and she had a number of people who would donate some of their land to it. She welcomed the provision of more EV charging units and the elimination of herbicides.

Mr Deane replied that in relation to tree planting, particular expertise is needed and hard to get. Only a handful of local authorities have a full tree planting policy, but the climate change officer is working on progressing one. She will also be active in formulating a biodiversity plan with the climate action team.

He said that the woodland creation scheme to replant amenity areas has strict criteria and the council is considering a narrowed down list of possibilities.

Council cathaoirleach, Cllr Frankie Keena, called for a bike share scheme for Athlone. He said it made sense to roll it out in Mullingar for the fleadh, but "Athlone should be brought into the loop".

Cllr Tom Farrell wanted to know if Active Travel would be extended to rural areas. He agreed that the bike scheme should be introduced in Athlone so people could cycle from one town to the other.

The elimination of herbicides was a concern for Cllr John Dolan, who argued that there is no alternative at present. He spoke of dumping at recycling bin centres and said that areas such as his own in Ballinahown were getting bad press because of that. He supported the call for a bike share scheme for Athlone, but said that bike lanes needed to be provided for safety.

Cllr Dolan said that many farmers are big users of electricity and would put up solar panels if the ESB would pay enough for surplus power.

Mr Deane said a bike share scheme can be considered for Athlone, but advised Cllr Farrell that such schemes do not use the sort of bikes suitable to ride from Mullingar to Athlone – they are town bikes and too heavy for long hauls.

He said that finding an alternative to Roundup as a herbicide is a major challenge and Maynooth University is looking at different products that could be used. Products they thought were going to be "silver bullets" have failed, but it is being explored rigorously.

Mr Deane said CCTV is the council’s main weapon in tackling dumping at recycling centres. He explained that PV solar panels work well at the civic centre in Athlone because it is daytime usage and they don’t have to sell any back. Any surplus at weekends goes to car chargers in the car park.

Barry Kehoe, Director of Services, said that the Active Travel team faces the challenge of seeing how cycling in urban areas can be made safe. He accepted that rural villages and towns had to be accommodated under Active Travel too and assured the members that the whole county would be addressed.