Portlaoise laneway could close over illegal dumping

A lane in Portlaoise may need to be blocked off to prevent illegal dumping, a recent meeting was told. 

At a meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District, Cllr Thomasina Connell described the dumping at a lane in Fairgreen as prolific. She said rubbish had also been set alight at the location. 

She told the meeting that local residents had suggested blocking the laneway and allowing adjoining properties incorporate the lane into their gardens. 

In a motion at the meeting seconded by Cllr Willie Aird, Cllr Connell asked: “That the Portlaoise Municipal District review the lane in Fairgreen adjacent to Glenkeen Park which continues to be a dumping black spot with a view to finding a solution to include blocking it off.”

Cllr Connell asked if CCTV could be explored as a possible solution to the dumping problem. She asked Director of Services Simon Walton when he believed legislation would be in place to allow the use of CCTV to prevent illegal dumping. He said he believed it would be in place in the first quarter of 2023 but the issue was outside the council’s control. 

According to Councillor Connell, there have been instances where the council has cleaned  black bin bags from the lane and within two or three hours more were dumped. 

“There was a fire there recently and a lot of residents suggested it be blocked up and perhaps that the land that made up the laneway be put into gardens,” she remarked.

She said CCTV could be costly and the council should give due consideration to removing the lane altogether. “This is just a prolific problem,” she said. Citing burn marks along the lane walls, Cllr Connell  described the situation as “scandalous”. 

Mr Walton said the council were aware of the issues with illegal dumping at the laneway. He said CCTV was an option as was “extinguishing the right of way” but he told the meeting council staff had observed people using the laneway as a means of access. He said if it was to be removed and subsumed into gardens it would have to be agreed. “If it is the democratic will of the residents out there then obviously we will abide by that,” he said. 

He expressed his belief that it may be a local problem and said: “I don’t suppose there is people coming from far and wide to dump in the lane.” 

Mystery surrounds Portlaoise house ownership

In a written response to the motion read at the meeting, Senior Executive Engineer, Rory Callaghan said:  “A review of the lane will be undertaken in the coming weeks and a report prepared for MD Members. The review will focus on the use of the laneway, the degree to which illegal dumping is occurring together with remedy options including CCTV surveillance (when permitted) and/or extinguishment of the existing public right of way or other solutions as agreed locally.”