Cllr Charlie O’Connor has urged South Dublin County Council (SDCC) to prioritise the construction of a new public library in Castletymon so residents can access full library services as soon as possible. The local Cllr received an update recently from the Chief Executive of SDCC regarding the construction of a new public library following the closure of existing library services in Castletymon last year. Cllr O’Connor said, “There has been a library in the Castletymon community since 1984 and local residents are fearful that the plans for a new build have not made any real progress since it closed its doors last year. The library was expected to be fully rebuilt by 2019.
“Despite being assured that tenders for the new library would be issued in March, with construction due to have commenced in May, an open tender was only completed in August. “It’s coming close to 5 months over the scheduled construction start date and it’s still nowhere near underway. I have now been told that construction “will commence before the end of the year, with a 52 week build period.” This is clearly not being treated as a priority project. “This building has been idle for almost a year and I am very disappointed the needs of our community are not being met. The mobile library provides limited book loans in the interim as a temporary arrangement but those living in the area deserve better access to a wider variety of services. I know for instance many locals miss the photocopying services.
“The new library that is due to be built near the church in Tymon will no doubt be a vibrant community space for all when completed. That is why it is all the more urgent for progress to be made and development gets started right away,” he concluded.
