Council take legal action after closure of busy road
By Aideen O'Flaherty
PROTESTS are being planned after a public meeting was held on Tuesday evening in relation to the ongoing closure of a portion of the Edmondstown Road in Rathfarnham, which was closed by South Dublin County Council last November after alleged illegal excavation work took place.
The council has confirmed that they are taking legal action against the third party who allegedly carried out the illegal excavation work, but there is no timescale for the reopening of the road, which has caused local businesses to lose custom and forced emergency services to take detours.
The County Council are taking legal action after the alleged illegal excavation work
As reported in The Echo last April, Niall Fitzharris of The Hazel House Café which was previously accessed by the now closed section of the Edmondstown Road, located between The Merry Ploughboy Pub and Tibradden Road, has seen custom reduce by 25 per cent since the road closure.
Local business owner Donal Cawley told The Echo: “Communication was set up to liaise with South Dublin County Council but after seven months nothing has happened.
“The council are not willing to spend the money to repair the road until they have exhausted all legal avenues against the person who carried out the excavation work – it’s going to be a long time before the road is reopened.”
The public meeting, which was attended by 80 residents and local business owners, was held in Ballyboden Wanderers GAA Club and saw all present unanimously agree to begin protesting at the offices of South Dublin County Council in order to get the road reopened.
Mr Cawley explained: “The meeting was called to update everybody and to see what would happen next.
“Everyone at the meeting unanimously agreed to begin protesting until the council decide to move [on reopening the road].
Disappointment
“There’s frustration, anger and disappointment in the community – people are worried about the fact that there is now only one road into the mountains.”
A timeframe on the reopening of the road is not yet known due to the high level of work anticipated to reinstate the road after the unauthorised works destabilised the road, with The Echo understanding that works could cost the council in the region of €1 million.
Fianna Fail TD for Dublin South West, John Lahart, who was at the public meeting, said: “The council’s decision to commence legal proceedings now ensures that the road will just remain closed indefinitely – there is simply no telling how long a legal action will take, or indeed whether it will be successful.
“Meanwhile, local businesses continue to suffer unacceptably, and local residents continue to be seriously discommoded.
“I completely support the decision of local people to escalate action including the organisation of protests at the council to secure action to re-open the road.
“If this was any other location, and more of the public were affected, action would have been swift.
“Because this is predominantly a rural community, some politicians don’t seem to care – however it impacts on thousands of people – because it’s not just locals who uses these roads.”
A spokesperson for the council told The Echo: “Legal enforcement action is underway in this matter with the objective of the council that reinstatement works leading to the reopening of the road are commenced without delay.”
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