Kildare residents are against houses planned for their green area

A group of Naas residents have come out against plans to build seven new homes on their green area.

According to Kildare County Council, it has received approval for funding from the Department of Housing for the homes (three two-bedroom houses and four one-bedroom apartments) - at Sarto Road.

They say they are firmly opposed to KCC's proposal “to remove an established community green space and construct seven residential units on the site.”

They say this is “not simply an objection to seven houses.”

They believe the proposal raises much wider questions about how Naas is being planned, how public money is being spent, how existing communities are being considered and “what kind of town we want Naas to become.”

They are asking where the “long term, joined up planning strategy for Naas is.”

They say the project “represents the shoe-horning of seven units into an area that is clearly unsuitable, while permanently removing an established community green space that has been part of our local area for more than 20 years.”

They say the plan is not acceptable simply because Naas needs housing.

“Our position is that the Sarto Road green should not be developed.”

They add: “We believe it should remain exactly what it is: a community green space and an important part of the character and amenity of Sarto Road.”

The residents claim the plan would permanently change the character of the area and represents an inappropriate and excessive use of a confined site.

The group says two councillors - Bill Clear (Naas mayor) and Anne Breen “have publicly supported the residents and have stood alongside us in our opposition to the proposed development.”

They add: “We believe that support should be recognised, particularly when, in our view, other elected representatives have either supported the proposed development or have not publicly supported the residents' opposition to it.”

They say they have a right to know “whether the people elected to represent them will stand alongside the community in protecting the Sarto Road green or support its development” and they want local councillors to “publicly state their position” on the plan.

They claim KCC had plans to landscape the area but this did not happen.

They’ve also highlighted the importance of wildlife including families of swans nesting by the canal.

“This is a visible reminder of the wildlife and natural character that exists alongside our residential community and forms part of what makes this area of Naas special.”

They are concerned about the impact of “construction works, increased activity and the proposed overdevelopment of the site would have on the character of the surrounding area and the wildlife.

Meanwhile, they have criticised KCC over vacant, boarded up or under utilised properties throughout Naas.

“We understand KCC has acquired properties in the Basin Street area, yet these properties have remained idle rather than being renovated and brought back into productive use.”

They say the existence of vacant properties is not an argument for developing Sarto - but it is a “reason to question why Sarto is being targeted for development in the first place.”

Vacant properties elsewhere in Naas would form “part of a much wider strategy for regenerating the harbour area and improving the appearance and vitality of the town.

They question whether public money should be spent on this.

And they ask what KCC is doing about other issues such as traffic congestion/flow, emergency access, parking provision, school capacity, healthcare infrastructure, public transport, pedestrian safety, cycling infrastructure, existing green spaces, environmental impacts, town-centre regeneration, the cumulative impact of new housing and commercial development and the cost and value for money of development decisions.

They also expressed concern about the condition of the area after piling works were carried out there on KCC’s behalf in the past.