BIG READ: Council plans for Tipperary walkway creating rift in 'little parish'

A proposal to construct a walkway at the rear of residents houses in Limerick Junction has created a rift in the parish according to a statement issued on behalf of the Limerick Junction Residents Association.

In June, Tipperary County Council announced plans to build a public walkway between Sologhead Cross and Limerick Junction.

A section of this walkway is intended to pass along the rear boundaries of more than thirty houses in Limerick Junction and also has an impact on a home in nearby Acraboy.

The Council commenced a Part 8 planning process, where submissions were invited from members of the public. When residents became aware of the planned project, meetings took place with substantial concern among residents, about the threat to the security of their homes that was posed by the Council's plan.

The residents mounted a campaign to alert the broader community about their concerns. Print media carried the story and radio stations featured interviews with a representative of the residents.

By the July 12 deadline for public submissions, the residents succeeded in lodging more than 200 objections to the Council's plans.

However, it has emerged that the Sologhead GAA club had submitted what was one of only three of submissions supporting the project.

The submission, by a senior officer of the club, stated that the club "has welcomed and supported this proposed development for the benefit of our local community and that Sologhead GAA Club see this development as enhancing local resource amenities".

The Residents Association has responded to this and in a statement issued on behalf of the group by the PRO says that they were totally shocked by this support.

"Nobody from the GAA club had contacted us to understand our security fears before they wholeheartedly supported the Council's plan to effectively open up the backs of our homes.

"Our fears for young children and elderly people living alone in our community did not seem to matter enough to our own GAA club.

"The GAA prides itself on its community base, but the GAA has definitely failed our community by unreservedly backing a Council plan that threatens our safety and security," said Noel O'Keeffe, Chairperson of the newly-formed Limerick Junction Residents Association.

"At a time when we would have expected our GAA club to reach out and support us, they focused instead on supporting the Council.

"Quite a few stalwarts of Sologhead GAA live in Limerick Junction and the safety and security of their homes will be affected by this planned walkway.

"They weren't even consulted before a senior officer of the club put in the submission supporting the proposal.

"One of our members contacted the senior officer and implored him to withdraw the submission, but he refused.

"That same representative sought a meeting with the senior officer, but could not secure an undertaking to withdraw the submission.

"To make things worse, we have been informed that a club meeting has since taken place and we were told that the club had endorsed the planning submission that had been made in the name of the club.

"They put out a public statement calling on the Council to 'carefully consider' our concerns. Because the deadline has passed, the Council can't legally have regard to anything in that statement. Only the submission they refused to withdraw will be considered by the planners," said Mr O'Keeffe.

In concluding the statement the Chairperson says that this was "a missed opportunity for the club to show support for its members and its community, but it decided not to take that opportunity".

"Instead, they backed the Council in a planning application that threatens our safety and security. The decision time for the planning application seems to be during September so we can only hope that Sologhead GAA Club will have a change of heart and support its community before it is too late."