The Tidy Towns competition is administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development and has been proudly sponsored by SuperValu since 1991.
The competition is divided across a total of eight categories, detailed below, and the Adjudicator looks at projects or initiatives undertaken in a competition year:
a) Community - Your Planning & Involvement
b) Streetscape & Public Places
c) Green Spaces & Landscaping
d) Nature & Biodiversity in your Locality
e) Sustainability - Doing more with less
f) Tidiness & Litter Control
g) Residential Streets & Housing Areas
h) Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes
Try and read all categories as all are designed to work together, allowing Adjudicators to form a full picture of community cohesiveness, innovation and efficacy -- as an example, Landscaping has an important role to play in the adjudication of categories including Streetscapes & Public Places, Residential Streets & Housing Areas and Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes. Similarly, the subject of Tidiness & Litter control crosses over a number of categories.
The competition is divided across a total of eight categories, detailed below, and the Adjudicator looks at projects or initiatives undertaken in a competition year:
a) Community - Your Planning & Involvement
b) Streetscape & Public Places
c) Green Spaces & Landscaping
d) Nature & Biodiversity in your Locality
e) Sustainability - Doing more with less
f) Tidiness & Litter Control
g) Residential Streets & Housing Areas
h) Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes
Try and read all categories as all are designed to work together, allowing Adjudicators to form a full picture of community cohesiveness, innovation and efficacy -- as an example, Landscaping has an important role to play in the adjudication of categories including Streetscapes & Public Places, Residential Streets & Housing Areas and Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes. Similarly, the subject of Tidiness & Litter control crosses over a number of categories.
Community: your planning & involvementWhat the Tidy Towns judges consider:
1) What is it that makes your area special? 2) What features are characteristic of the area - what type of atmosphere is there? 3) Are there any special considerations which affect development pressures such as tourism or commuter housing? 4) What are the places and features that are important to the history or distinctiveness of the area? 5) What are the facilities like? Are there facilities such as play areas, shops, clubs for young people, cafes, pubs, access for the disabled or baby buggies, recycling points etc.? 6) How do visitors to the area perceive it and what facilities are available to enable visitors enjoy the area? More info ... |
Streetscape & Public SpacesWhat the Tidy Towns judges consider:
Elements that influence architectural character: 1) Public and private buildings including derelict sites and buildings; 2) Building materials and colour; 3) Shopfronts & upper storeys; 4) Graveyards; 5) Public Places – the public realm, streets, street furniture, paving monuments, sculptures and art forms, overhead cables; 6) Signage; 7) Boundary treatments. More info ... |
Green Spaces & LandscapingWhat the Tidy Towns judges consider:
1) The appropriate selection and siting of trees, hedges, shrubs and flowers for year-round effect; 2) The maintenance of trees, including formative pruning (if required), watering and attention to the stakes and ties. Over-pruning and pruning when not required can be a common issue; 3) Incorporation of native and pollinator-friendly plants into planting schemes where appropriate. The planting of the incorrect species of trees, such as the use of non-native trees where a native tree would be much more appropriate e.g. at the edges of towns and villages where they meet the countryside; 4) The location, design and maintenance of planted areas; 5) The planning, design and management of green spaces; 6) Presentation of landscaping of all entrances to your town/village/locality. More info ... |
Nature & Biodiversity in your localityWhat the Tidy Towns judges consider:
1) Knowing and understanding Nature and Biodiversity in your locality; 2) Habitats and species in your locality; 3) Actions for Nature and Biodiversity; 4) Awareness. More info ... |
Sustainability - doing more with lessWhat the Tidy Towns judges consider:
1) Describe how your activities help to make your community more environmentally sustainable. Not just your own direct activities but those of local business, schools, community buildings and community gatherings and events etc. Remember it’s a very broad area: water, transport, waste, energy, and climate action; 2) Show an understanding of what this category means and awareness of the move towards a Circular Economy and implementation of Sustainable Development Goals; 3) Provide evidence of how you as a Tidy Towns group reduce your environmental impact: reduce paper usage; zero waste or plastic free committee, car-pooling or walking to meetings; 4) How you use resources for projects you are involved in (i.e. methods or materials you use), e.g. Reusing salvage materials for landscaping or biodiversity projects. Removing the use of pesticides as well as water conservation in landscaping projects; 5) Awareness raising activities carried out across your community – workshops, demonstrations, information days, stalls at farmers markets, joining with the school; 6) Awareness raising campaigns using local newsletters, noticeboards, local media, social media; 7) Are you linking with other groups in your community? Sharing ideas and information or doing joint initiatives? e.g. Cub Scouts & Brownies look for environmental projects and can earn badges and Men’s /Women’s Sheds or Active Retirement groups enjoy upcycling and repair projects. More info ... |
Tidiness & Litter ControlWhat the Tidy Towns judges consider:
1) Lack of physical and visual clutter; 2) Presentation of signage; 3) Absence of inappropriate advertisement hoardings; 4) Redundant and useless poles; 5) Presence of unsightly overhead wires; 6) Prevalence of graffiti and flyposting; 7) Traffic management and parking arrangements; 8) General weed and plant management; 9) Any outstanding tidiness issues that may not have been picked up in other categories; 10) Treatment of vacant buildings; derelict / undeveloped sites; management of graveyards; 11) Presentation of curtilage areas viewed from the public realm; 12) Presentation of street furniture. More info ... |
Residential Streets & Housing AreasWhat the Tidy Towns judges consider:
The presentation and appearance of: 1) Private dwellings including their roadside boundary walls, fences and private open spaces; 2) Communal open spaces - their maintenance, presentation, function and universal accessibility; 3) Landscaping; 4) Estate signage and entrances; 5) Links to town centre and facilities; 6) Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals. More info ... |
Approach Roads, Streets & LanesWhat the Tidy Towns judges consider:
The presentation and appearance of: 1) Approach roads, including roadside verges and boundary treatments; 2) Town / Village streets and connecting roads; 3) Roundabouts within the 60 kph zone; 4) Laneways, back areas and bridges; 5) Cycle lanes; 6) Pedestrian connections and inclusive access; 7) Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals. More info ... |
Strokestown Tidy Towns is an initiative of Tidy Towns Ireland
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