KILDARE: Call for a pond to be built to prevent illegal encampments near Naas and Sallins

A large pond should be built to prevent illegal encampments between Naas and Sallins.

Cllr Bill Clear told a Naas Municipal District meeting that a large pond is the most likely solution after another councillor, Carmel Kelly, asked how Kildare County Council intends to prevent future illegal encampments on the Sallins bypass and the nearby link road.

The most recent trespass was carried out by individuals breaking and entering through two sets of locked gates and moving a 6 foot ft mound of material inside the gate. KCC has now taken additional steps to prevent further illegal encampments. 

The entrance has been reduced in width and a new field gate has been installed, behind this gate, a mound of material has been placed and there are 6 large concrete blocks. 

A number of trenches have been excavated across the width of the access track. The access track to the attenuation pond is now no longer accessible by vehicles. The area can only now be accessed by foot which of course makes maintenance of the pond more difficult. The entrance from the link road and to the attenuation pond have been resecured with new gates.

Three other attenuation ponds located have been secured by having new locks fitted to all gates and four large concrete blocks have been placed at the entrance to each pond in order to deter entry.

Preventing re-entry cannot be entirely guaranteed, according to a KCC report, but  the  amount of work carried out is significantly over and above what is normally required for such attenuation ponds “to the extent that it is also affecting council staff entering onto the lands so should deter others from accessing the area.”

Cllr Fintan Brett said this work costs a lot of money.

Instead, he said, KCC should introduce a bye law to ban parking - as was done in Listowel.

He said the council had to spend thousands of euro providing wooden poles in a bid to prevent illegal encampments.

“It’s frustrating to see money spent on this that could be used elsewhere,” he added.

But Cllr Seamie Moore said such a  bye law can’t be introduced until there is a “transient site” available as an alternative..

He also said the provision of these sites has been abandoned in favour of “more permanent accommodation.”

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