Residents furious over plans to run road through park

By Brendan Grehan

THERE WILL be a protest march against the building of a proposed road through St Catherine’s Park in Lucan on Sunday, May 7 at noon.

The park is used by people from Lucan, Leixlip, Celbridge, Ongar, Blanchardstown, Maynooth and beyond.

Valerie Colton told The Echo: “We refuse to allow a big new road through any part of St Catherine’s Park. Fingal Council want a new road from the M3 to the M4 at Leixlip and Kildare’s planners know this.

“Without saying so, they are relying on Fingal’s planned road to give access to 1,500 houses proposed for Confey in the new Leixlip Local Area Plan.”

Declan Kenny said that they are calling all councillors from Kildare, South Dublin and Fingal and all TDs to join in the protest walk which will assemble at the Glendale Meadows gate.

Cllr Brendan Young told The Echo: “I’m opposed to the Confey and Fingal plans. Instead of spending €50 million and more on new roads, money should go into public transport to reduce car-commuting, traffic jams and the carbon emissions that are causing climate change”.

He added: “For housing in Leixlip, Collinstown is much better: it’s on the railway and busses could also serve Easton Rd. Road links would cost much less; construction would be quicker and cheaper.

“Land to the west along the railway could be zoned for jobs. HP is likely to be gone in 2020 so their 190 acre site will be available for inward investment.”