Works set to commence on Edmondstown Road

Works set to commence on Edmondstown Road

By Aideen O'Flaherty

AFTER ten months of closure, works on the Edmondstown Road in Rathfarnham are set to begin this week while South Dublin County Council bring legal proceedings against the person who allegedly carried out illegal excavation works on the road last year, causing it to destabilise.

A section of the Edmondstown Road, located between The Merry Ploughboy Pub and Tibradden Road, was closed by the council last November following unauthorised excavation works being carried out by a third-party, which has had a knock-on effect on people in the area.

Edmondstown Road 08

The Edmondstown Road has been closed for the past 10 months

The road closure has been a point of contention for people who live in the surrounding areas and local business owners, with Niall Fitzharris of the Hazel House Café telling The Echo in April that custom in his café, which was accessed by the road, had dropped by 25 per cent since the road closure.

Last June, over 100 protestors converged on the Ballyboden roundabout, calling for the council to reopen the Edmondstown Road, before then proceeding along Scholarstown Road to the Orlagh roundabout.

The council is currently in the process of bringing legal action against the third-party that they believe carried out the illegal excavation works, but the case was adjourned in July and there is no clear timeframe for when the legal action will reach a conclusion.

The council announced this week that there are plans for work to begin on the road within the next two weeks, with the works expected to be completed 12 weeks after works commence.

Miriam Mulkerrin Mason, from the Reopen Edmondstown Road Now group, told The Echo: “Locals are overjoyed, as this news brings certainty and hope for an end to the disruption which this situation has caused to our lives.

“The tenacity of the local population who have emailed, tweeted, lobbied, attended SDCC meetings and community meetings, along with participation in the protest march on June 30, must be acknowledged as a major factor in persuading SDCC to repair the road while, at the same time, pursuing action through the courts.

“The progress in repairing the road will be monitored closely by the local community who are still at a loss to understand why they have been used as pawns by SDCC in its legal battle.”

Taking longer than anticipated

In a statement released on Monday, the council said that their legal action against the third-party that allegedly carried out the illegal excavation works is “taking longer than anticipated” and that they have decided to take action to repair the road.

“In the context of this uncertain legal timeframe and in order to avoid any potential weather erosion, the council has decided that it is in the best interests of the local residents and businesses, as well as the wider public who have been severely impacted by the closure, that the works are undertaken by a specialist contractor on behalf of the council.

“To this end, a contractor has been appointed and works will commence within the next two weeks,” the local authority stated.

“The duration of the works is expected to be 12 weeks from commencement. The council will continue to pursue its legal action.”

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