KILDARE County Council are continuing to look into the possibility of the car park at their Áras Chill Dara headquarters being used for public parking.
At the most recent meeting of Naas Municipal District, cllr Evie Salmon asked for an update on the opening of parking at Kildare County Council (KCC)’s headquarters to the public at the weekends.
A report issued by Barry Griffith, facilities manager at KCC, stated that the facilities section continue to explore various options with regards to potentially opening the car park at the weekends.
The report stated that “there are a number of things that need to be taken into consideration before a final decision can be made such as the insurances, management of the car park and the knock-on effects on the security of the Áras, MERITS and the Records Management Unit”.
Cllr Sammon was frustrated that the process has yet to move beyond the ‘exploring options’ phase, making the point that land and parking are not infinite. The possibility of the car park being open to the public has been explored since 2024.
The councillor added that she hoped that the council would have purchased land that was recently up for sale in the town, noting that this did not happen.
Cathaoirleach Seamie Moore voiced his support, noting that the car park is “a very big space” and could be put to more use.
A council representative at the meeting provided a further update, saying: “We are looking at the landscaping of the site” and sounded broadly optimistic about the potential public use of the car park.
Cllr Salmon also mentioned the possibility of the car park being open to public use for big community events such as the Christmas tree switch-on. The council representative that this option would be considered going forward.
