Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will pick up from where I concluded. The following stage of this proposal envisages that OPW staff and essential contractors access the site via Lime Avenue at predetermined times of the day. The OPW has made written commitments that the volume of traffic would be approximately 20 vehicles per day for OPW staff and essential contractors. People with a disability would also be facilitated with access as required. Arrivals and departures will not occur all at once but will be spread across the windows of access and egress. This small number of vehicles will not impact the current congestion within Celbridge. In fact, the work by the working group and the OPW may help to reduce congestion in the longer term by changing travel patterns. As has been stated repeatedly, there is no intention to use Lime Avenue for general visitor traffic to Castletown House.

It should also be highlighted that the use of Lime Avenue by OPW staff during the predetermined windows will give priority to pedestrians and ensure their safety. The system of pedestrian priority is used extensively across OPW heritage sites and has always operated in Castletown House and estate for access for staff who park at the east of the house and for people with a disability. It is also how Castletown Estate operates with regard to vehicles involved in the maintenance of the grounds, which have always been a feature of Lime Avenue.

The Deputy has been a strong supporter of Castletown House and estate over the decades. Given its importance to the tourism industry in Kildare, I hope he will be able to give his full support to ensuring that this proposal is progressed through these phases. He has been a representative of the constituency since 1981, which is a fantastic achievement and great credit to him, so I hope his leadership can ensure that Castletown House opens this summer.

See this speech in context