8 Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes
Do we welcome visitors on arrival and do we encourage them to stay? With 5 access points, each is different, and each needs improvement. Can we improve on the appearances of our main attractions: residential areas, the Johnstown Shopping Centre, Old Johnstown Village Shops, The People's Park, the IDA businesses, 3 schools, one church, and the River walk.
Competition Guide Notes:
Appropriate presentation of approach roads, including the roadside verges and their boundary treatment. The appearance of town and village streets, connecting roads, laneways, bridges and cycle lanes. Provision for inclusive access and pedestrian connections.
2023-24 Summary
(M) Plastic Waste Avoided?
Local Councillor Elections are expected June 7th and in 2019 and 2020 we successfully prevented the streetscape being littered with political plastic posters.
We have asked all potential candidates not to erect street posters along Johnstown's Green Km. This looks like a challenging year with dozens of posters erected on the night of May 7th despite our request.
St Martha's Bridge Flower Displays Map Ref 1
For the first time we hosted both Summer and Winter flower display at St Martha's Bridge with both being extremely well received by followers on social media.
The Summer emphasis was pollininators whilst the over-winter plants added delicate colour during the darker colder months.
Thank you to Navan Garden Centre for the Summer display and Beechmount Garden Centre for creating our first ever autumn display.
Summer Display
Autum, Winter, and Spring Display
Winter Lights Display Map Ref 36
Volunteers adorned ten tree with LED lights along Metges Road. Illuminated by batteries they added a subtle sparkle to a dark stretch between 4pm and 10pm each evening.
(P&M) More Metges Rd Trees Map Ref 12 & 15
We plan to double the length of the planting area along Metges Road east side and to double it's depth Trees received from MCC in March 2024 have been put into temporary pots ready for planting in the coming days/autumn.
(M) Stop Weedkiller Use
In 2022 we were unsuccessful in obtaining a grant to purchase and operate the Foamstream System but the Council offered assistance collecting the weed debris using their road sweeper. This significantly increased the efficiency and reduced the manhours required to clear 4km of road and 10km of edging during 2023.
Now in 2024 the Council has offered to maintain the edging along the Green Km stretch using a new brush system that could mean fewer action days manually removing the weeds.
(M) Sunflower Trail
Following the success of 2022 we took the opportunity to expand and proposed over 50 sites with two routes. The 4 local school students participated in germinating and growing flowers for the public spaces. The local 'Grow Shop' generously donated over 40 compost bags and 10 local residents agreed to germinate an extra 500 seeds in their own gardens for sharing amongst their neighbours' front gardens to fill in the 'trail gaps'.
The weather ultimately decided the success of the trail and the germination of 1400 sunflowers was severly hampered by the very wet and unseasonal cool weather. The small plants were more susceptible to hungry slugs (we didn't encourage slug pellets) and coupled with the slow plant growth the final crop was less than 20%. This resulted in only 16 display sites.
The 2024 trail has been abandoned due to a number of key volunteers being unavailable during critical months of May, June, and early July. We hope to have the sunflower trail re-established in 2025.
Proposed 2023 Trail
(M) 'Don't Mow Yet'
We're delighted that Meath County Council followed through with the 2023 plan to allow certain verges and roundabouts to grow the grass longer than usual, wildflowers appeared, and a better habitat for biodiversity was created. It allowed residents to see the stark aesthetic contrast between commercial marketing and what Mother Nature intended.
Although we haven't seen any street signs we hope to see this initiative continue and we fully support utilising the Green Km Initiative to demonstrate what we think the future should look like.
Cycle Path Extension
We're expecting progress to be made to enhance the Dublin Road and allow it to connect Johnstown with Navan via suitable paths as part of the Navan Cycle Scheme - Part 8 Notice (Ref P822011).
Academy street already has the beginnings of infrastructure but the main road is still without.
