A set of plans have been produced by the National Transport Authority, in conjunction with Bus Eireann and the County Council, to create a new ‘bus hub’ on Naas main street. This is a ‘Part 8’ in planning terms, which means the council puts it forward and the councillors vote on it (unlike a normal planning application where a private party puts forward an application and council officials decide on it). It strikes me that there is a lot of money being spent on this bus hub and I am not wholly convinced of the value. Concerns have been raised about potential impact on the main street as the plans would involve a loss of some parking spaces (4). I feel whether the bus stop proceeds or not, this underlying issue (lack of parking) needs to be addressed and I have been working on some proposals on that and on other town issues – more on that in due course. You can view the current designs for the bus hub here and the council are accepting submissions until 19th September.