Anger over use of canal road for Kildare school construction
Photo is for illustrative purposes only
THE use of Canal Road in Naas by construction vehicles has become a source of local frustration, with a claim that Kildare County Council took too long to write to the construction company that had allegedly not been adhering to planning permission conditions.
The November meeting of Naas Municipal District heard that at this juncture there remains “no easy solution” to the problem.
At the meeting, cllr Evie Sammon sought an update from the local authority on the use of the canal road by construction traffic for the new build at St Mary’s College.
Acting senior engineer Daragh Conlan issued the council’s response, stating that a construction environmental management plan submitted by the developer was deemed unacceptable by the local authority because it ‘did not clearly demonstrate the proposals relating to construction traffic management or access to the site’.
Mr Conlan further detailed that the council’s transport planning team raised concerns regarding machinery using the canal-side access adjacent to the site, as this route was deemed unsuitable for construction machinery.
The council issued a letter to the developer on 15 October “formally advising” them that planning conditions were not being adhered to and that canal-side access was not appropriate.
The council also requested a site meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, cllr Sammon expressed her frustration, saying that Mr Conlan’s response to her motion “epitomises every frustration I have in this job”.
She noted that planning permission was granted in 2022.
She said that she had been questioning how the construction traffic would get into the school since July 2024, when the Section 38 proposal for the Canal Road closure came to the council.
Cllr Sammon noted with a tone of exasperation that it took until October this year to write to the construction company.
She accepted the report but expressed frustration that local residents and the school community have had to contend with construction traffic on the road.
She said: “I accept that it’s moving now finally. I just think it’s so frustrating that we’re this late to the game on it when it was flagged so much in advance”.
Cllr Anne Breen was also unhappy, saying that Canal Road is a greenway for walkers and not for construction vehicles.
A council official said at the meeting that the issue would be looked at further. The council planned to meet with the developer but the official did not see an “easy solution”.
Works began earlier this year on the new school building, which is set to have a capacity of 1,000 pupils, after the school received a Letter of Intent from the Department of Education in March.
