KILDARE: Vacant site is 'a ghetto on the edge of Naas'

The site of a stalled plan to build a service station Naas has been described as a “ghetto on the edge of the town.”

The hoped for July 2019 opening of a new service station by Applegreen -  and an estimated 400 jobs - never materialised at the former Cemex plant.

The plant, which once manufactured concrete pipes and which itself closed in late 2007, was the location for the planned Applegreen project beside the “big ball” on the Dublin side of Naas.

Planning permission for the development was granted in 2014 by Kildare County Council.

When this happened the council said development levies would amount to €760,000.

The proposal was to build  a 400 square metre floor area development embracing a net retail sales area of 100 square metres and a restaurant seating area of 107 square metres.

Also approved were 41 car park spaces, 15 bicycle spaces and six fuel pump stands, including two stands to cater for trucks and heavy goods vehicles.  

However the planning application was subsequently withdrawn by the company.

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Naas Mayor Bill Clear said the existence of the site along with the derelict Naas Shopping Centre are factors in preventing Naas winning more Tidy Towns titles.

He also said it is not acceptable that people are living on the site - though these people should not be demonised.

“This is not happening anywhere else in Ireland,” added Cllr Clear.

However Kildare County Council Eoghan Ryan told a Naas Municipal District meeting that the possibility of delays at nearby roundabouts and perhaps on the M7 are a source of concern to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, which is responsible for managing the national road network. He said TII will want to protect all the roundabouts nearby.