Apartment blocks under construction in west Wicklow raise safety concerns
The Wicklow PeopleA local councillor has raised safety concerns regarding an ongoing development in Blessington which was granted permission in 2019 for 58 apartments across three blocks.
Cllr Jason Mulhall’s concern relates specifically to the removal by the developer of a footpath that has been in use by children accessing the main entrance of St Mary’s Senior National School since it opened in 2007.
In June of this year the pedestrian crossings were also removed without any due consideration and the crossings themselves were subsequently reinstated, but the footpath wasn’t.
As a result, the children are now forced to use a footpath on the opposite side of the road which is approximately 80 centimetres wide.
Cllr Mulhall finds this situation unacceptable, given that hundreds of school children who use the route daily.
Speaking during the October meeting of Wicklow County Council, Cllr Mulhall said he had been trying to find a solution.
“Despite the best efforts of both the school and myself engaging with the developer and Wicklow County Council there has been a lot of what I consider flip-flopping and still no suitable solution has been identified despite a number of obvious solutions being suggested.
“The situation I think is unacceptable and presents a clear risk of a serious accident occurring over the next months of construction.”
Cllr Mulhall asked the planning department to take on board his concerns and look to take appropriate action to address his concerns.
“I am happy to work with -- or happy to provide further details if needed. I am happy to put Wicklow County Council in contact with the school directly if they prefer. But I would appreciate some level of confirmation that this issue will be examined, and a solution found.
“The current situation is simply not acceptable for me as rep in the area. I have got great concerns that the inaction will result in a serious incident eventually.”
In response, Wicklow County Council chief executive Emer O’Gorman said they will look to resolve the issue.
“That’s very concerning about the removal of the footpath in Blessington. I would be very concerned for road safety. It is a very, very busy area and we have children using that. We will talk to the school then directly as well.”
Cllr Mulhall raised the issue again during the October meeting of Baltinglass Municipal District where officials said a meeting would be arranged with the contactor to clarify what happened.