KILCULLEN, 9 October: by Trish Whelan. Kilcullen Community Action is to urgently lobby all local TDs and councillors to ensure a relief road from Castlemartin Lodge will be able to link up with Kildare County Council’s planned business park south of the town with access to the Athy Road (above).
The road would allow residents of the 400 houses at Castlemartin access to the motorway without having to go through the town centre. It would also benefit those travelling from Athy to Newbridge.
Recent rumours that the Council is ‘stalling’ on its verbal agreement to allow the road from Castlemartin continue on to the Athy Road, are a cause for concern according to members of KCA.
“We were given indications only from Kildare County Council that they were in agreement, nothing in writing,” Noel Clare of KCA said last week. He explained that in early summer, KCA had objected to a development on the Sunnyhill Road which when added to other developments, would mean another 400 houses all using the same exit/entrance out onto the Curragh Road.
“We consider this exit to be unsuitable. It’s on a bend, is close to two schools with 1,000 students and staff, as well as the Cattle Market and the town’s sports facilities.”
When planning permission was given, KCA objected the decision to An Bord Pleanála. “We were in talks with the developer, M & D Properties, who agreed with us. We suggested they continue the road through the
their site to join up with the road in the Council’s business park, leading out onto the Athy Road between the town and the motorway.”
This, Mr Clare said, would effectively be a bypass of the town.
“M & D Properties agreed to reapply for planning permission to rejig their plans to allow the road and offered to give us a signed legal agreement to this effect, if we withdrew our objection. Which we did.”
However, nothing was given in writing by Kildare County Council. “Only indications they were in agreement,” says Noel Clare.
The Council is now proceeding with the business park and KCA is concerned that if the road is not included in these plans at this stage, it will be lost and a great opportunity missed. “We hear KCC are stalling on the idea; they don’t want to mix business with residential traffic - but the road is shown in the draft development plan,” Mr Clare commented.
(He says the sports fields complex could be accessed by the new road, thus eliminating the need for two roads opening out beside each other on the Curragh Road, and that M & D Properties have agreed to allow this happen).
©2001knn