Angry residents attend council meeting in protest over Edmondstown Road closure
By Aideen O'Flaherty
OVER 30 Rathfarnham residents who have been affected by the partial closure of Edmondstown Road attended South Dublin County Council’s Rathfarnham Area Committee meeting on Tuesday, June 12, with one resident saying anger in the area “is palpable” due to the ongoing saga of the road closure.
A section of Edmondstown Road, located between The Merry Ploughboy Pub and Tibradden Road, was closed by South Dublin County Council last November following unauthorised excavation works being carried out, which destabilised the road.
The council was forced to close the road to “protect the safety of road users”, and while SDCC confirmed to The Echo last month that they are planning to bring legal action against the third party who allegedly carried out the illegal excavation works, this is leaving locals unsure of when the road will reopen.
The road closure has had a knock-on impact on people in the area, with motorists, pedestrians and emergency service vehicles having to take 5km detours to avoid the road, and some local businesses reporting a reduction in custom since the road closure.
Rockbrook resident Miriam Mulkerrin Mason, who was at the council meeting, told The Echo: “We’re quite exasperated with the apparent lack of action on the part of South Dublin County Council – they cannot estimate the inconvenience and hardship the road closure has caused.
“The anger is palpable. We’re aware the council are taking legal action but that’s going to take a long, long time.
“There has been no action on this and our patience is running thin.”
Six councillors put forward a joint motion at this week’s Rathfarnham/Templeogue-Terenure Area Committee meeting, calling on the council to “initiate the identified repair works” on the affected section of the road.
In response, the council stated that they have “continued to progress discussions with the representatives of the landowner” and that the council’s engineers have agreed the design to carry out the works on the road.
The council said that contractors have been on site to examine the affected portion of the road and to tender a price for the works, however, there is “no date currently for the reopening of the road”.
A community meeting was held in the area last month, where the 80 residents present unanimously voted in favour of holding protests outside the offices of South Dublin County Council to prompt the council to take action to reopen the road.
