Kildare residents don't want their only green space built on

A campaign has been launched against a plan to build new homes on green space in a long established residential area in Naas.

Representatives of those living there staged a public meeting at the Town House Hotel, Naas, at which residents were urged to object to the plan and to ask local councillors to back them. Three councillors - Bill Clear, Anne Breen and Ger Dunne - attended the meeting but did not publicly commit to voting against the proposal.

Kildare County Council has approval for funding from the Department of Housing for the homes (three two-bedroom houses and four one-bedroom apartments) - at Sarto Road.

The site, at Sarto Road, should be preserved as a green area and, ideally, developed as amenity space, say the residents.

Naas woman and local solicitor Rioghnagh Bracken said CC has plans for 4,500 homes in the so-called Northwest Quadrant (Near Millennium Park) and yet “they want to build seven homes here on a handkerchief-size piece of land.”

Ms Bracken said that while there is a need for new homes, derelict sites, some owned by KCC, are left vacant, notably on Basis Street.

“We need our Naas councillors to come on board (to support the residents).”

Sarto resident Michael Keogh said the building project will be prolonged and will have a considerable adverse impact on older people living in the area, which is some 50 years old.

“They (KCC ) didn’t do anything with the place for 20 years. All we want is a green; we are only looking for something we were told we could have, a green area.”

Gwen Byrne said they are not opposed to houses but this site was allowed to become overgrown by KCC.

Ms Byrne said many residents, including her parents, are elderly and some have health issues.

She asked where these people would go when building work starts.

Ms Byrne said the elderly parents cannot leave the house because of health issues

“KCC has the money to build the houses but nothing is planned for the residents. We’re being told to put up with it. Our Lady’s Place, Sarto Road, Sarto Park and St Martin’s Avenue will all be affected.

“We’re asking the councillors to stand beside us and help save a green space.”

Bob Quinn, a former Green Party councillor in Naas, said mental health is impacted by the physical environment and “it is hugely important to fight this to the bitter end.”

Referring to other residential development plans he said “trash accommodation” planned for Corban’s Lane had been turned down by the planning appeals body, An Coimisiún Pleanála.

Another former councillor, Sorcha O’Neill, said the noise associated with site clearing, pre-construction and construction will be significant.

Ms O’Neill said she had this experience of this in the Esmondale area with "piledriving trucks reversing back and forth every few minutes" and she described the noise as “chronic.”

The residents say the site was previously built on but the houses were demolished following subsidence issues and the area was "subsequently retained as green space.”

They say it has been an established open area adn has become an important part of the surrounding community.

They say the loss of the area would have an impact on the character, appearance and residential amenity of the area.

They also say existing green areas in established estates should be protected and not “unnecessarily lost to development.”

They also claim an existing car park would be "blocked off adn effectively shielded from view” by the proposed development adn this could “reduce natural surveillance and create a secluded space “that could encourage anti-social behaviour.”