Kildare County Council confirms it will upgrade and replace cobble stone foot paths 'no longer fit for purpose' in Kilmeague
Kildare County Council has said that a valuable 180-year-old cobble stone foot path in the village of Kilmeague was ‘no longer fit for purpose’ as they vow that a replacement footpath will be safer for all members of the community.
Earlier this week, some residents in Kilmeague staged a protest in the village to after a cobble foot path was ripped up. Speaking to KildareNow this week, Chairperson of Kilmeague Tidy Towns, Tomas Dunne, said that they had ‘absolutely no notice’ when diggers started ripping up the cobble footpath last Tuesday January 29.
One local resident Frank Maher described the cobble foot path as 180 years old and a ‘central feature’ of the village.
However, some residents said that the cobble foot path was not wheel-chair friendly nor easily accessible. One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “The cobble stone foot path was not wheel chair friendly and it was not safe for pedestrians and motorists, it was badly worn down also. Some of us are happy that it will be replaced.”
Meanwhile, in response to the issue raised, Kildare County Council’s Road Department confirmed to KildareNow that it has commenced the repair, upgrading and replacement of foot paths in Kilmeague.
In a statement Kildare County Council said: “The footpaths in question are old cobble stone that is badly worn away due to due to shared spaces between cars and pedestrians. The footpaths were determined to be no-longer fit for purpose as there are a number of potholes, uneven chambers backfilled with concrete, and some sections of the footpath were already replaced with brick paving. The decision to upgrade the footpath was based on historic complaints by those with mobility challenges and difficulties arising for parents using wheeled buggies/prams etc.”
“Following discussions with the Council’s Heritage Officer it was agreed that in order to bring the footpath up to an acceptable standard, the reuse of the old cobble stones was not feasible. The elected Members assigned funding from Local Property Tax in 2018 to carry out the necessary improvements. The cobble stones have been stockpiled and retained and will be re-used within the village subject to further discussions with the Roads Department, Tidy Towns and other interested parties. Ultimately, the replacement footpath will be safe and fit for purpose for use by all members of the Kilmeague community," the council said.