No new houses without infrastructure, says Kilcullen

KILCULLEN’S population has almost doubled in two decades to some 3,800 people, with very little additions in key infrastructure.

A proposal to add up to 700 more people, potentially a further 18 per cent population jump, without infrastructural and services improvements first, is simply not on, according to the town's residents.

They said so, bluntly, at a public meeting last week.

More than a hundred Kilcullen area residents attended a gathering in the town's Community Centre to discuss a proposal by Oakway Homes to build 180 houses with access onto the New Abbey Road.

One after another they detailed their own and neighbours' experiences with a chronic shortage of local spaces for second-level education, the inability of even long-term Kilcullen residents to get on local doctors' registration lists, and the potential effects of the development on the already-constant Kilcullen traffic congestion.

They raised doubts about the current sewerage system capacity, and historical issues of both developers and Kildare County Council not doing what they were supposed to do in relation to previous developments.

A core sense from the meeting was that those present were not against more housing, but won't accept it at any social cost.

It was pointed out that the present application was for a number just under the 200-homes figure which would trigger a mandatory audit for schools capacity, and there was a palpable angry reaction to a suggestion in the application that 'it is manageable' for Kilcullen people to send their children to secondary school in Kildare town.

Other parents detailed how they have to send their children to schools in towns such as Newbridge, even though they had bought homes in Kilcullen for access to local schools.

With what were called 'straws in the wind' that this current application is only the first of what could be up to 700 houses in adjoining locations, another speaker said — to applause — "if we don't make a stand, there's no limit to what they can do".

The fact was also raised that the developers have had multiple accesses to planners in pre-planning meetings, but no Kildare County Council officials have interacted with the community on this development.

"That even after these meetings they should be able to propose two exits onto a really bad road is an insult to Kilcullen," another speaker said. That some of the proposed buildings are four stories high was described as inappropriate for Kilcullen.

The meeting heard that giving permission for this development wouldn't in any way address longtime infrastructure issues in Kilcullen, particularly the traffic problems related to having only one bridge.

The prospect of local quiet country roads becoming 'rat-runs' as extra residents try to avoid the overloaded main crossroads and its inadequate traffic lights was emphasised.

Plans under the concept of permeability to provide pedestrian and cycle access through existing mature residential areas were also challenged as having privacy and life-changing impacts for people already living there.

One speaker noted that this development could mean up to 1,800 trips a day through mature estates, "including pedestrians, buggies, e-scooters and mopeds”.

The meeting was chaired by local resident Gerry O'Donoghue, who said that it came about because of a casual conversation that there was no forum available to discuss the proposal.

"Obviously you can't expect to have a public meeting on every planning proposal, but because this is a large residential development which will have an immediate and ongoing impact on the town, it was felt prudent to give people an opportunity to share their concerns," he said. "

The fact that so many people turned up here tonight is gratifying, and shows that it was necessary."

Among the attendance were a number of councillors from the Kildare-Newbridge MD, including Tracey O'Dwyer, Rob Power and Noel Heavey.

Several references were made to the proposed development probably getting the go-ahead regardless from Kildare County Council, and it was emphasised that everybody was entitled to make a submission and should do so.

It was also said that the matter would likely end up with An Bord Pleanála, and that it was important that everyone make an individual submission so as to be part of that. All submissions need to be in by next Thursday 23 January. The planning reference is 2461327.

Cllr O'Dwyer told the meeting there is currently no wait list for Scoil Bhride in Kilcullen, and that the school is 'not at capacity'. "There was no wait list for 2024 and they were able to cater for all children, and it is expected to be the same for 2025."

For second level places in Cross and Passion College, she said there is a wait list, but the college extension has been committed by the Department of Education to commence construction in 2025, bringing it to a 1,000-pupil school.

On childcare places, cllr O'Dwyer noted that the Kilcullen Community Childcare Centre currently has a wait list of 20 children but that the centre has the scope to expand if funding was available, possibly in part by a contribution from the developer "rather than providing a new creche which probably wouldn't be built until the end of the development".

Cllr Rob Power told the meeting that a draft amendment to the Kilcullen Settlement Plan includes a provision for serviced sites kept for local people with housing needs. He said if the current application fails at the KCC level, it would have to be resubmitted under the new regulations.

Cllr Noel Heavey reminded those present that the proposal under discussion “has to be in agreement with the Kildare Development Plan” and that a knowledge of that plan was ideally needed for the preparation of submissions.