Laytown ‘being left behind’ as ‘chronic’ parking shortages hit commuters and businesses
Chronic parking shortages along the Meath coastline have sparked fresh calls for urgent action from councillors.
The issue dominated discussion at the April meeting of Laytown-Bettystown Municipal District, where councillors warned that a lack of parking is impacting residents, commuters and local businesses.
A motion from Sinn Féin councillor Maria White called on Meath County Council to develop a comprehensive plan to address what she described as a “chronic shortage” of parking, particularly in Laytown.
The proposal includes examining the use of Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) to acquire land near Laytown Train Station, as well as the potential development of a park-and-ride facility if suitable sites cannot be secured.
Cllr White said the issue has been raised repeatedly without progress.
“We have all been here many times before. We know the difficulties people are facing, particularly around parking at Laytown Train Station, and we know more housing developments are coming,” she said at the meeting.
“Laytown is being left behind. Other areas are seeing investment in parking infrastructure, and people have had enough.”
Seconding the motion, Fine Gael councillor Paddy Meade said that the situation is now having a serious impact on local commerce.
“There is nothing we could do more for businesses in Laytown than to deliver proper parking. At the moment, it has almost become a no-go area if you want to stop and go into a shop,” he said.
He suggested that even if the council had to fund parking infrastructure itself, the economic return would justify the investment.
Independent councillor Carol Lennon said the issue has been raised repeatedly since her election, but little progress has been made.
“We cannot keep burying our heads in the sand. People are moving into our communities and there is no parking — not at their homes, not in their villages and not at public transport facilities,” she said.
Fianna Fáil councillor Stephen McKee highlighted the need for greater engagement with national transport bodies, saying major rail projects should include adequate parking provision as standard.
In a written response, Meath County Council acknowledged that parking provision in the area is constrained by limited land availability, existing development patterns and the sensitivity of the coastal environment.
It pointed to the Laytown and Bettystown Public Realm Strategy, which promotes a shift towards sustainable transport and reduced car use.
The council also noted that while planning permission has been granted for the DART+ Coastal North scheme, additional station parking and park-and-ride facilities are not included and are being considered separately by the NTA.
"Any consideration of additional parking provision, including the use of CPO powers for land acquisition, would require detailed feasibility assessment, alignment with national transport policies and strategies, environmental evaluation and confirmed funding,” the local authority added.
Meanwhile Director of Services Fiona Lawless told the meeting that demand for parking has outpaced available infrastructure, creating ongoing challenges.
She said the council would continue to engage with relevant agencies to ensure that parking is properly addressed as part of current and future transport projects.
Speaking afterwards, Cllr White acknowledged that the council has made some progress by keeping the overflow car park at Laytown open “year-round”, but said the measure falls far short of addressing the scale of the issue.
"We know the stress involved for all, we know the majority of workers living in the area leave the area for work, we know we have applications for the development of more houses in the area so we can predict the problem is only going to get bigger,” she said.
“The council’s response to my motion is that it is the responsibility of another state agency the National Transport Authority to solve this problem.”
"For people living in the area, dealing with this issue on a day to day basis, for businesses who have had to stop investing in plans to expand because their current customers cannot find parking, for residents who are regularly blocked by cars double parked and for me, the response is insufficient because it does not inspire hope that Meath County Council is ready to actively support the community and take action on this issue in whatever way it can.”
"As a community we are desperate and we really do need the council to be proactive on this issue and to actively support the community with this ongoing issue which I believe is preventing our beautiful coastal area from reaching its full potential.”
"The average person does not want to hear it is not the council’s responsibility, they want to hear the council understands we have huge difficulties on the coast with parking and that the council will leave no stone unturned in finding solutions within their control and will also use its influence to impress upon the NTA the need for additional parking at Laytown train station,” Cllr White added.