Clondalkin local election candidate Sarah Adedeji has outlined her and Fine Gael’s opposition to ideas regarding the banning of traffic from Clondalkin Village.
Sarah Adedeji said “The biggest issue new councillors will have to work upon after the local elections this summer will be a Local Area Plan for Clondalkin Village. This will be one of the most important issues councillors will address in the first 12-18 months of the new council.
The initial consultations carried out by unelected council officials about the Clondalkin Local Area Plan caused widespread justifiable anger and distress for local residents. Floating ideas such as road closures for Main Street, Tower Road, and Orchard Road caused great alarm and anxiety. If these proposals were put into effect, our cherished village’s use and accessibility would be greatly impacted. I’ve spoken to many residents terrified of added congestion at Newlands Cross due to the closure of Main Street to Tower Road. This would turn the already acceptable 5-minute trip into a nightmare of worsening traffic, which will have an impact on local businesses, residents, and commuters alike”.
Sarah has with her Fine Gael colleagues opposed these traffic management ideas for Clondalkin. Sarah’s colleague, Cllr Shirley O’Hara, is at this month’s Clondalkin area committee of the council, demanding big changes in advance of any future consultation on the local area plan.
“I will be asking my council colleagues to support the motion that any options, designs and concepts for the future Clondalkin Local Area Plan delete the ideas floated at the most recent consultation that have caused so much needless anxiety for residents. I acknowledge that the Planning Department has said in its response to councillors that, feedback from residents will inform the ongoing preparation of the draft Local Area Plan. However, we want the options presented at the next round of consultation to remove the bad ideas causing so much needless distress”.
Sarah Adedeji has met with local residents who have outlined in detail their opposition to the traffic proposals. Sarah concluded “This is the biggest issue facing local councillors in the next 18 months and it is important Clondalkin elects local councillors that will only adopt common sense proposals and not schemes that waste taxpayers’ money and put a burden on local residents and businesses. If elected in June I will fight to ensure any future Clondalkin Village Enhancement Scheme or Local Area Plan, reflects the community’s view and not that of unelected planners”.
