Laois County Council has announced that works will take place to provide wheelchair friendly access and safe passage on Castletown's village green.

This motion was tabled by Independent Mountrath Cllr James Kelly, and was seconded by Rathdowney Fine Gael Cllr John King.

"The current access onto the green will be improved to accommodate safe access for all," the Area Office replied to Cllr Kelly's motion.

Pictured: The green in Castletown village

Cllr Kelly welcomed this response, commenting on the necessity of accessibility in the village.

"Thank you for this reply. We all know Castletown, the people of Castletown are very proud of their village, and we all know the village green," Cllr Kelly said.

"We know how hardworking the Castletown Tidy Towns committee is, and Laois County Council have always supported Castletown, they have a great history there," he said.

"The green is in close proximity to the church and the schools, any events held in the town are held outdoors when the weather is good. It's here that the events are held, and the green doesn't offer accessibility to anyone in a wheelchair at the moment," Cllr Kelly highlighted.

"I would encourage anything that would be of benefit to wheelchair accessibility as soon as possible," Cllr Kelly finished.

Fine Fáil Cllr John King praised the village for its beauty.

"I'll second Cllr Kelly. It is a lovely village, on a route that starts, it's a beautiful village where a lot of work has been done, and there's a great history to it as well. Anything that benefits all people works well. 

Independent Cllr Ollie Clooney hailed the motion as 'brilliant'.

"I just want to support Cllr Kelly. As Cllr King said, the village is absolutely beautiful," Cllr Clooney said.

"Anything that could make the area more accessible to wheelchair users is absolutely brilliant and badly needed," he finished.

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