DELAY: Public to be asked for their views - five years after recreation land bought in Kildare

The public consultation process which will precede the development of much needed sports and recreation facilities in Sallins will take place soon.

This will allow members of the public as well as local groups and clubs to formally give their views about how the land should be developed.

This project has been a long time coming and will, albeit belatedly, address the lack of green space in a town with a population of more than 6,000.

The deficiency in local community and  recreational facilities for Sallins is well known, according to Sallins councillor Carmel Kelly.

“The purchase of approximately 40 acres of land in late 2016 in response to local community needs was massively welcomed and allowed the people of Sallins to dare dream that proper facilities commensurate with the size of Sallins was now imminent,” said Cllr Kelly.

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“However, delay upon delay followed due to getting studies completed because of the fact the link road past the site from the Sallins Bypass wasn’t open, then Covid-19 restrictions impacted the work.  It all made for a frustrated community.”

The money to buy the land was only made available after a controversial decision by Naas Municipal District Councillors in 2016 to provide it via an imaginative land deal.

 It revolved around  70 acres of land at Clane Road which was owned by the McCarthy family, who operate a Clane meat processing facility. They who sought to have 30 acres zoned for residential use. This could have led to 365 houses.

In return some 40 acres of land would be made available for community use, to provide sports and recreational facilities; with Sallins GAA Club being the main beneficiary because it would get 25 acres for a new facility.

 It was also hoped that three acres would be set aside for educational use; probably as the site for a new primary school.

The plan had the support of the Sallins Community Council, but it was rejected by the then Minister for Housing Simon Coveney.

This happened after the plan ran into initial opposition from KCC officials who argued that the housing building element of the proposal would go against accepted planning practice.

What this meant effectively is that the new housing would not be ‘sequential’ to the development already carried out in Sallins

Closing date for receipt of submissions to Kildare County Council is  March 14.