KildareNet News

NAAS 02 April 2003: Naas Town Council is guilty of 'vandalism' on the Fair Green according to one of its own councillors, who is asking questions about who exactly is running the town - the officials or the elected council?

This follows a rapid consolidation of work by the council on the construction of car parking spaces near the old Fire Station, encroaching significantly onto the historic remains of Naas's South Moat, and done without any consultation with councillors.

"The work has now taken in a huge chunk of the Fair Green," says Cllr Charlie Byrne, who raised the issue on KNN over the weekend after it became clear that the 'building of a few car spaces' on a turnaround area formerly used by the Fire Brigade was taking in an area far wider than the original turnaround.

"It is deeper on the slope side facing Swans by at least 20 feet," he said. "And in course of the work, they've also wrecked the tarmacadam path used by many people as a short cut across the green. Now mothers pushing buggies will have to use the footpath down by the road."

Cllr Byrne is also querying the removal of the 12 concrete bollards on the roadway up to the old Fire Station, and is concerned that this may also be in preparation for more of a 'creeping takeover' of the Fair Green, which town officials are on record as wishing to turn into a car park. The current work may provide up to 30 spaces, according to some reports.

"An amazing amount of money must have gone into this work, which we were not informed about in advance. And for what benefit? It is no good to the hospital, where there have been big parking problems. It doesn't solve the problem of customer parking for Swans supermarket, who only wanted an extension of the Pay and Display along the Ballymore Road. The only place that could benefit is Super Valu."

Local history interests have also expressed their concerns, and the matter is being investigated by Kildare's Heritage Officer. A number of townspeople are also asking whether the Council should have applied for planning permission before the work commenced?

Cllr Byrne also says he was criticised by one town official, after the story broke at the weekend on KNN, for going to the press before going to the officials. "I had tried to contact three of the officials first, without success," he retorted.

The matter is likely to get a heated airing at tonight's adjourned meeting of the Town Council, at which an attempt is also being made to hold a secret 'in committee' discussion on the persistent problem of parking in the area around Naas Hospital.