‘It's as if the Wexford Borough ends at The Faythe' – Neglected roads and footpaths are an ‘absolute disgrace'
Although Wexford's new electoral borders were redrawn over seven years ago there remain parts of the county which are up for dispute. One such area, on the outskirts of Wexford town, is suffering from being part of the (relatively) newly-formed Borough District according to a councillor from the neighbouring Rosslare Municipal District (RMD).
Speaking at the July meeting of Wexford County Council (WCC), Councillor Lisa McDonald said Sinnottstown Lane was not technically part of the RMD but was, traditionally at least, home to those whom she represents.
'Sinnottstown Lane is an absolute disgrace to the council, the barrier at the top of the road was knocked down by a car some months ago and it hasn't been fixed,' she said. 'It's going from bad to worse, you can't walk down that road, there's no footpaths, and yet all the financial contributions (for its upkeep) are coming from the businesses there.
"It's as if the Wexford Borough District ends at The Faythe or thereabouts, but this is in the Wexford District and it needs investment badly, and at the moment it's not being addressed.'
Senior planner Diarmuid Heuston informed Cllr McDonald that works were planned on Sinnottstown Lane in the future and that the area would feature prominently in the Wexford Town Local Area Plan which will guide the town's development up to 2040.
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Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
‘It's as if the Wexford Borough ends at The Faythe' – Neglected roads and footpaths are an ‘absolute disgrace'
Today at 21:00 Although Wexford's new electoral borders were redrawn over seven years ago there remain parts of the county which are up for dispute. One such area, on the outskirts of Wexford town, is suffering from being part of the (relatively) newly-formed Borough District according to a councillor from the neighbouring Rosslare Municipal District (RMD). Speaking at the July meeting of Wexford County Council (WCC), Councillor Lisa McDonald said Sinnottstown Lane was not technically part of the RMD but was, traditionally at least, home to those whom she represents. 'Sinnottstown Lane is an absolute disgrace to the council, the barrier at the top of the road was knocked down by a car some months ago and it hasn't been fixed,' she said. 'It's going from bad to worse, you can't walk down that road, there's no footpaths, and yet all the financial contributions (for its upkeep) are coming from the businesses there. "It's as if the Wexford Borough District ends at The Faythe or thereabouts, but this is in the Wexford District and it needs investment badly, and at the moment it's not being addressed.' Senior planner Diarmuid Heuston informed Cllr McDonald that works were planned on Sinnottstown Lane in the future and that the area would feature prominently in the Wexford Town Local Area Plan which will guide the town's development up to 2040.
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Irish Independent
Wexford County Council agrees to meet public to discuss controversial safe routes to school schemes
In addition, the works will lead to the widening of footpaths, narrowing of roads, and tightening of junctions in the two villages. However, those living in The Ballagh and Kiltealy have voiced their discontent regarding the schemes with many accusing the organisation behind The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) initiative (An Taisce) of not engaging with the public prior to finalising its plans. In the Ballagh, a public meeting saw 64 per cent of those in attendance reject the proposed scheme in their village, while in Kiltealy there have been 92 submissions made by members of the public raising concerns about the layout of the scheme and how it will affect residents. With the council under increasing pressure to liaise with the public, director or roads Eamonn Hore has announced that two information evenings will be arranged in the villages between August 5-15. In a letter issued to all relevant stakeholders, Mr Hore said that 'following these meetings a decision will be made to proceed with the Safe Routes to School plans or not to proceed with the plans. Wexford County Council would like to see all representatives of the village who have an interest in Safe Routes to Schools, including parents, residents and business owners attend at these meetings. We all aim to keep the children safe.' Mr Hore also drew attention to the fact that the delivery plan and audits for the schemes were presented to each school's board of management on February 19 (Ballaghkeene) and March 4 (Kiltealy) and that the latter also included a walkability audit carried out in the village with students and the Green Schools Travel Officer. The decision to meet with the public comes after local councillors chose to go 'in committee' to discuss the schemes at two district meetings last week. On Tuesday morning last, at the July meeting of Enniscorthy Municipal District (EMD), cathaoirleach Councillor Barbara Anne Murphy proposed that the media be asked to leave so that councillors could discuss the Kiltealy safe routes scheme privately. Cllr Jackser Owens objected to this proposal and the matter was put to a vote with Cllrs Aidan Browne, Pat Kehoe, and Trish Byrne voting to go in committee, and Cllr Owens, and John O'Rourke voting to hold the discussion with members of the media present. As a result the subsequent discussion was held privately. Later that day, at the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District (GKMD) councillors held a private meeting with members of the community from The Ballagh prior to their public meeting. The media was not invited to attend the private meeting. However, at the county council meeting a day prior, some discussion on the schemes took place under the full glare of the assembled press. ADVERTISEMENT Councillor Paddy Kavanagh was the first to raise the topic, contending that neither he, nor the people he represents, had been consulted regarding the Ballaghkeene scheme. 'I have no objection to the SRTS, it's a fabulous initiative, it's putting in ramps and safety features into villages where it's long overdue,' he said. 'This is something which would have constantly been raised about The Ballagh in the past. But if An Taisce is coming to a village to alter that village permanently, it should consult with those living locally. 'Its engineers met with the school, the principal, the parish priest, the parents association, and the board of management; they also consulted with some of the businesses which were directly affected, and those people were of the opinion that these engineers were going to come back to them. But they never came back. "On the day we voted on this at our last district meeting in Gorey, there wasn't even a map for the elected representatives to consult. It would have been so much easier for those engineers if they'd had a public meeting with the people of the parish who are going to be affected by these works for years and years to come. 'I am not for or against this, but I would like to see some safety measures going in for the schoolchildren and to slow the traffic going through the village. But the local people have to have their say.' Cllr Barbara Anne Murphy meanwhile, believed a public information event was the only way to counteract a lot of what she described as 'misinformation and disinformation' which had been circulated in Kiltealy. 'People need to know what's actually proposed and what the options are and the difference it would make to the village,' she said. 'There's an organised 'no' campaign in Kiltealy which is difficult to overcome. People feel intimidated by it.' While events later in the week would suggest Mr Hore agreed that there was a need for a public information event, he remained of the opinion that the relevant bodies had received due warning of the proposed plans. 'On April 9 an email was sent to the councillors with all the relevant documentation, including every single plan, the drawings, all the proposed works, and the locations of the pedestrian crossings,' he said. 'On June 16 there was a meeting with the post office, the local shop, and the landowners, and on June 17 there was a report made to the GKMD with the active travel team in attendance.' Insisting he had not received any detailed maps in April, Cllr Kavanagh felt that an effort had been to made to slip the scheme by unnoticed. 'Any maps I have seen since (at the local meetings) were all on A4 sheets, something major like this should be put on the wall in a hall, and be big enough for people to see it properly,' he said. 'It seems like An Taisce was trying to keep the plans closely under wraps and have it on view for a minute amount of time. That's a sad indictment of the way the councillors have been used.'
Irish Independent
30-06-2025
- Irish Independent
New breakdown shows just who is getting Wexford council houses – ‘There's a real false narrative out there'
You won't have to look too far online to find allegations that foreign nationals arriving into Ireland are being bumped up the queue for social housing at the expense of Irish people who may have been on the local authority housing list for years. It's something that was put to the Wexford councillor on several occasions, but it simply didn't match with his experience on the ground. Following several requests and follow ups with Wexford County Council's housing section, Cllr Forde obtained figures which provide a breakdown of the local authority's own-build social housing allocation. While the figures don't account for the sizeable chunk of social housing provided by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), they do provide a clear pattern in relation to where council houses are going. The figures show that of 3,325 Wexford County Council built houses allocated since 2013, 2,773 (or 83%) went to Irish nationals. The next highest allocation went to people from the EEA (European Economic Area) with 404 (or 12%). Applicants from the UK accounted for 39 allocations (or 1%), while 109 houses (3.3%) were allocated to those from outside of the European Economic Area. It was also pointed out that all of these applicants, over a 12 year period, would have been subject to the same criteria and waiting times. For Cllr Forde, it was important to bust some of the myths circulating online. "I've been looking for these figures for quite a while,' he said. 'There's a narrative out there on social media that foreign nationals are coming into the country and taking social houses and getting them quicker than Irish people. A lot of people have fallen into the trap of believing this. "The figures show that, for the past 12 years, the vast majority of houses have gone to Irish nationals and that reflects my experience on the ground, working with a vast majority of Irish families on housing. ADVERTISEMENT "At the end of the day, foreign nationals are entitled to apply for housing here, as they should be. Many come and contribute greatly to our communities and work hard. They are entitled to apply for housing supports. But they are also held to the same criteria as everybody else.' Cllr Forde noted an influx of people coming from overseas were working their way through the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), but stated this was completely different and had no bearing on social housing allocation. "In Sinn Féin we've called for the IPAS system to be abolished on several occasions,' he said. 'It's not good for the people using the system and the state should be taking the lead rather than it being a cash cow. There's huge money to be made in that system at the moment. I don't think people should be making money of the back of vulnerable people arriving into Ireland.' Returning to the housing allocation figures, Cllr Forde says that the most shocking thing about them was that there were only 3,325 houses allocated over 12 years, although he did conceded that the figures don't include housing provided by AHBs, which accounts for a large chunk of social housing. "I'm waiting on further figures in relation to the breakdown of the allocations from AHBs too,' he said. 'But I would believe that the allocation of houses by AHBs closely mirrors that of Wexford County Council's own-builds. "I think we should be pushing for more Wexford County Council own-builds as well,' he added. 'We need to be more ambitious in that regard and shouldn't be so reliant on AHBs and other developers. We need to start rezoning and identifying land to build houses and be more proactive in that regard." Regardless, Cllr Forde believes that there's a misdirected anger on social media and he hopes that these figures provide some clarity. "The narrative that's out there is false,' he said. 'I'd say the government is very happy with it. It deflects from the real problems – the shortage of housing supply, spiralling cost of living, lack of homeless services. People are venting their anger in the wrong places, aiming it at vulnerable minority groups instead of at the government and government policy. Lack of supply and lack of proper policy is the issue and that's down to the government.'
