The unsightly wasteland on the way into a County Mayo town that leaves drivers staring in astonishment
There are plans in place to start enhancement works along the embankment beside Ballina train station early next year.
The piece of land, located on the way into town, was described as an "eyesore" and a "disgrace" by councillors at the latest meeting of the Ballina Municipal District, where they asked when the long-overdue upgrade works would begin.
Councillors voiced their frustration that such an unsightly area sits at the entrance to the town. They said that the problem is made worse by frequent heavy traffic on the Foxford road, which often leaves road users staring directly at it.
A motion was raised by Cllr Marie Therese Duffy, who asked for an update on the situation and a clear timeline for improvement works on what she described as a "wasteland."
Cllr Duffy described the embankment as an "eyesore", especially for road users driving into Ballina town, who often sit in traffic waiting to get into town and are left looking at it.
"That's been lying like a wasteland for years now," she added.
Her motion was seconded by Cllr John O'Hara, who described the area as "derelict" and added that it gives the town a bad image.
"I don't know how we got the gold medal at all with that there," he said, referring to Ballina Tidy Towns' recent gold medal award.
"You can have all the lights and other good things going on in Ballina, but when you drive down the main street into Ballina and look at that - and you're held back for about half an hour because of traffic jams in the town," he said, "I think it's a disgrace."
Cllr O'Hara added that it is the most urgent job and it needs to be done.
Cllr Annie May Reape agreed and described the grounds as "unsightly".
She said that the town's entrance should be a source of pride, and pointed out there are also derelict buildings along the route that require attention.
"Something has to be done, and [we need] a timeline absolutely," she added.
Head of the Ballina Municipal District, Declan Turnbull, informed the meeting that the embankment is due to be upgraded early on in the new year.
Mr Turnbull explained that the land is owned by Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE) but has been licensed to Mayo County Council so that the council can carry out the necessary enhancement works, as CIE was not in a position to carry them out.
He said money has been set aside and the council will be upgrading it, and work is expected to start in February or March.
"We are working with the town engineer and the town gardener to get that work done," he confirmed.
There is currently a design plan, but the details have not been finalised yet.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.