Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Durkan for raising these pertinent points which are hugely important to the constituents he represents in Kildare North.

He and I agree that growing the numbers of visitors to Castletown House and estate is in everyone’s interest. It is a fantastic facility. We want more people to enjoy it and learn about it. The move to active travel for visitors will result in more people taking public transport. That will bring them into the heart of Celbridge village and provide an opportunity for local businesses to attract more trade. In addition, as part of the wider Government policy to encourage active travel, it will result in more people walking and cycling to Castletown House, which leads to more opportunities to attract people to local businesses where car parking is not a constraint. It is agreed there is a challenge to operate a tourism site focused on public transport and active travel but this is one that the OPW and working group can work on to overcome together.

The statement provided includes details on concerns around management, a biodiversity audit of the estate carried out in 2022 and the need for OPW staff and officials to be able to access the site to carry out important maintenance work. Bird nesting season is about to begin and there are dogs off the leash, which is something there have been numerous complaints about.

The core issue is that the current protest does not extend to Kildare County Council or Irish Water, which are allowed unimpeded access. The action is firmly to prevent the staff of OPW from accessing their workplace by vehicle. OPW staff have not had vehicular access to their workplace since September of last year.

A number of suggestions have been made. Deputy Durkan and others have suggested that the ultimate solution is for the State to acquire the lands. The Deputy has requested that the OPW explore multiple routes to restore access to these privately owned lands. The OPW remains committed to acquiring additional lands that form part of the original estate, where they become available, to reunite the historic domain. However, that cannot be at any price because we have to protect the best interest of taxpayers’ money as well.

As a Kildare man, I hope we see a resolution to this important problem. I again thank Deputy Durkan for continuing to highlight this important issue for Kildare.

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