Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Collier for that. She will forgive me for raising an issue that is local in nature. The OPW has had a number of successful negotiations recently, including the one in Meath and the one in Kerry, in the context of adding to the number of national parks, although I know parks are not a direct asset of the OPW. How does the OPW go about its negotiations? Were any lessons learned from the situation relating to Castletown House, for example? The one thing the committee is acutely aware of is getting for value for money, but value for money is a complex concept. The asset there is priceless and access to it was something that really required consideration. It just looks sloppy that the situation at Castletown was allowed to develop. Vehicular access was vital. I understand Lime Avenue was designed for horses and carriages. On average, 2,000 people a day are walking in and out, which is wonderful to see, and it saved people during Covid, when it was greatly appreciated. The issue is the mixing of cars and pedestrians, particularly when people had 17 years of it being limited to pedestrian access. There is a lack of any kind of car park for people visiting this national facility. A car park is essential.

Is the OPW looking at the negotiation strategy, even at this stage, or will it wait until it comes to a final solution in respect of this matter? I know the objective is to reunite all the lands that historically made up the demesne of Castletown House. Has there been a change in strategy as a consequence of what happened in this case?