Wall poses 'no immediate risk to public safety', Kildare County Council says
The current condition of the structure was highlighted by a local councillor
A wall that a local representative asserted is damaged poses 'no immediate risk to public safety', according to Kildare County Council (KCC).
The response was provided to a councillor who was in attendance at the latest Celbridge-Leixlip Municipal District (MD) meeting, which took place on Friday, July 17 last.
The subject was initially raised by Social Democrats councillor Claire O’Rourke, when she motioned for KCC to ‘provide a report setting out the reasons why the Transport and Mobility Department is not proposing to undertake repair works to the [damaged] wall at the Walled Gardens in Castletown’.
As part of her motion, Cllr O’Rourke wanted KCC to include ‘details of all inspections, engineering assessments and other examinations carried out, together with the findings, recommendations and the basis for the decision not to proceed with repairs’.
Cllr O’Rourke’s motion was seconded by her party colleague, Cllr Nuala Killeen.
Her sentiments were also shared by the Mayor of the MD, Fianna Fáil Cllr David Trost, who remarked: “It looks like the structure is under significant pressure.”
INSPECTION
In response to the motion, KCC said via the report it presented at the meeting: “The MD Office carried out a visual inspection and determined that there was no immediate risk to public safety and that the wall in its current condition is structurally stable.
“The Transport Department will continue to monitor the situation.”
KCC added: “A comprehensive assessment of this structure by an appropriate person, such as a qualified Architectural Conservation Officer, to establish the condition of the wall, would require a funding source and is not normally within the scope of day-to- day operations, especially when there is no immediate issue.”
Following this, Cllr O’Rourke pointed to the last point made by KCC, and asked if it would be willing to consider this option.
However, a KCC official who was also in attendance at the meeting, Mark McLoughlin, reiterated the the wall poses ‘no immediate risk’ to the public.
Despite this, he did say that, should funding become available, then ‘this would be a different matter [for KCC]’.
This prompted Cllr O’Rourke to double down on her call for repairs to the wall, and she noted that the wall is a Protected Structure.
Mr McLoughlin in turn told her that, if these remedial works were to occur, and given that the site is a Protected Structure, the wall ‘would have to be passed through’ KCC’s Planning Department.
A separate KCC representative then spoke and suggested placing the matter on a progress report.
After a brief discussion, the MD’s members agreed to place it on a progress report.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme