‘Soul-destroying’: Kildare Cllr voices anger over state of Newbridge site visited by illegal encampment

A Fine Gael councillor has voiced her displeasure over what she claimed was a lack of response to cleaning up a site near Newbridge.

Cllr Peggy O’ Dwyer made her frustrations known at the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District meeting on Wednesday, March 15.

At the meeting in question, the Newbridge-based Cllr asked Kildare County Council (KCC) when the taking in charge of the road linking the business park to Great Connell in Newbridge will be completed.

In response, KCC told her: "The taking in charge of this section of road is currently being examined by the KCC Roads Planning Section and is subject to snags and some outstanding works being completed.

"The members will be updated on the timeline of the taking in charge process."

Cllr O’ Dwyer replied that she was 'very, very disappointed' by this response.

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She also alleged that the clean-up job that was done at a nearby site which was affected by an illegal encampment was inadequate.

"The site is full of excrement, tyres, needles, and rubbish," she claimed: "The owners of the land have washed their hands of it (the clean-up effort)."

"This (issue) is like a revolving door," she added.

Cllr O’ Dwyer further said that it was 'soul-destroying' for people living nearby to see the area in such a poor state.

She concluded by calling on KCC to consider taking the area in charge 'as soon as possible.'