Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber to discuss this issue today. With my colleague Deputy Lawless, I want to highlight and address the local concerns involved in this issue.

I represent the views of the many thousands of people who use St. Catherine's Park as an amenity every day. I am also representing the group, set up on a voluntary basis, called Save St. Catherine's Park. This group was formed as a result of the major concerns about this issue. People do not want the amenity of St. Catherine's Park spoiled in any way. They do not want any infrastructure or development going anywhere close to or through the park. People want the park kept as it is. It is a major, positive asset not only for Leixlip, but also for the people of Celbridge, Maynooth and the surrounding areas of Kildare and Dublin, including Lucan and Clondalkin. It is a recognised amenity and is determined as an asset at community, local, regional and national levels. Working with the Minister of State and his officials, we want to ensure that the park is maintained on that basis.

The original Kildare local area plan had a suggestion of an indicative line for a possible route for a road going close to or in St. Catherine's Park. At a later stage, RPS compiled a report on route selection and it put out one option as an indicative route to go through St. Catherine's Park. The Minister of State might appreciate the alarm bells and the local concerns around the Kildare local area plan and with the RPS report that reflects the road through St. Catherine's Park as an option or an indicative route. This is a route that absolutely nobody wants, locally or anywhere else. No group or individual wants this; they want to keep the amenity as it stands.

In the Chamber today, we ask the Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, to commit to upholding the views of the people locally, the community groups and the public representatives. The councillors in Fingal and in Kildare county councils have voted overwhelmingly to remove that indicative line to ensure the park remains as it is and I ask the Minister of State to commit to upholding those views. I thank the Minister of State.

See this speech in context