Dundalk councillor fears for childrens' safety over collapsed wall

Cllr Robert Nash at the collapsed wall at Cypress Gardens

placeholder image — Cllr Robert Nash at the collapsed wall at Cypress Gardens

Dispute over ownership of collapsed wall leaves residents in fear for safety

A dispute over the ownership of a large length of a partially collapsed wall in a local housing estate has left residents worried over the safety of children regularly playing in the area.

Councillor Robert Nash, who is also a resident of Bay Estate, raised the matter at the Dundalk Municipal District February meeting. Cllr Nash spoke to the Dundalk Democrat following the meeting, saying that after weeks of consultation between himself, Louth County Council and Mc Parland brothers, the builders who built the estate, he is still none the wiser over who is responsible to repair the wall in question.

Cllr Nash stated that after the recent storms he was contacted by concerned homeowners in the Cypress Gardens area, after a section of wall which divides the estate and the Blackwater River had collapsed, leaving the residents in the area very concerned about the safety of small children who continue to play close to the wall despite being warned on numerous occasions to stay away.

The Dundalk South councillor said that he had initially raised the issue with Louth County Council, only to be informed that it was in fact the responsibility of the builder who built the new housing development in Bay Estate over 30 years ago, to repair the wall.

Following consultation with McParland Brothers, the developers of the estate, Cllr Nash said he was once again left disappointed after he was informed by them that, since the estate has been taken in charge by Louth County Council the onus was on the local authority to repair the damage.

Above: the collapsed wall alongside the Blackwater River

“We are now two months on since this wall collapsed and still residents are none the wiser over who is responsible”, stated Cllr Nash. At the February meeting Cllr Nash added that the river is completely overgrown and hadn't been cleaned in a number of years, further adding that it is only now, when the wall is gone, that the amount of debris in the river can be seen.

Cllr Nash made a plea for the local authority to find a definitive answer on who is responsible for the wall. Replying to Cllr Nash, Senior Executive Engineer Paddy Connolly reiterated that the wall belonged to the developer and that it was not Louth County Council's responsibility.

Mr Connolly added that when they take in charge a housing estate, it only relates to roads and services, it does not take ownership of the land, it and the boundary remains with the landowner. Mr Connolly said they take charge of roads, footpaths, public lights and sewers.

In relation to the river, Mr Connolly said that a project would be taking place this year in conjunction with Dundalk Tidy Town to do a river clean but added that he did not know the full details of the project.

Cllr Nash requested that the area in question be sealed off, until such time that ownership is resolved. Speaking to the Dundalk Democrat however, Cllr Nash said that the area is still to be sealed off and he fears that “it may take someone to be seriously injured before any action is taken and at that stage it may be too late.

“As well as an unstable structure, an open waterway with potential for drowning, there's also the problem of rodents who have become more visible around the area over the last couple of months since the wall first collapsed.”