Water issues in Kildare loom large in upcoming MD meeting

A meeting of Celbridge-Leixlip Municipal District is to be held on Friday, July 28 in Áras Chill Dara, Kildare, the last such meeting before the August break.

One note of interest is that Uisce Éireann will be raised in several questions in the upcoming MD meeting; indeed the company is no stranger to being discussed in council chambers.

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Cllr David Trost (FF) will ask Kildare County Council if Uisce Éireann has provided “a specific work plan on traffic restrictions for the mains replacement process on the Hazelhatch Road, which are due to commence later this year, and if not, when it is expected?”

Water supply is a contentious issue in Celbridge-Leixlip MD, with ongoing disruption experienced by residents particularly over the last 12 months or so, most notably in the Hazelhatch area.

There have been numerous calls in the council for Uisce Éireann to attend a municipal district meeting, which prompted Social Democrats councillor Claire O'Rourke to raise the following question at next week's meeting: “Can the council confirm if there has been reply from Uisce Éireann to the invitation issued to attend a Celbridge-Leixlip Municipal District meeting following our June municipal district meeting on 10/06/25 and our original invitation sent on 23/04/25 to elaborate on the upgrade works to replace watermain pipes on the Hazelhatch Road in Celbridge planned to commence in Q3?”

Again, staying with Uisce Éireann, Cllr Paul Brooks (FG) will ask if the council can update members in regard to how it plans to ensure that services such as water and sewerage infrastructure are sufficiently improved by Uisce Éireann “to cope with expected increased housing provision within the municipal district over the next number of years?”

Elsewhere, Cllr Brooks will table a motion requesting the council write to St John of God seeking clarification regarding a resolution to the ongoing situation in Abbey Car park in Celbridge “as a matter of urgency.”

Cllr Rupert Heather (LAB) has an interesting motion, where he will ask Kildare County Council to hold an official opening ceremony (including entrance plaque) for the social and affordable housing development in Newtown, Celbridge, in conjunction with the new municipal district team.

On a slightly more quirky note, Leixlip councillor Nuala Killeen (SD) has a motion which she hopes will encourage social engagement in the district.

Cllr Killeen is calling for a “Happy to Chat” sign – which indicates that people are happy to engage in conversation - be added to an already installed bench in Leixlip Village or Confey or in the environs of the Wonderful Barn.

This, Cllr Killeen argues, would be as a pilot and as a small measure to build community and help with loneliness.