Pedestrian bridge proposed
The construction project presently under construction in the square, when completed, will have buildings extending upriver to the old slipway on the old site of the Canoe Club. The building's footprint is already under construction. From this point upriver there will be firstly a parking area and then construction of a new Canoe Club extending to the end of the site.
From the new club site (which will be walled for security) back to the square along the riverside between the new construction and the river there will be a 15-foot wide public walkway with three boardwalk platforms from where one can view the river. The last 100 feet of the walkway to the edge of the square will have a restaurant facing the river.
The development offers the possibility to have a public riverside walk from the back of the Millrace Apartments, by the Heritage Centre, under the bridge and upriver as far as the Canoe Club. There will also be a public walkway through the new development at right angles to the river at a point 100 feet back from the square, at the back of the new restaurant.
At the car park beside the new Canoe Club the developer is prepared to build a bridge to cross the river to The Valley Park, at the famous point where Dan Breslin's machine slipped into the Liffey when the original pathway was pushed through The Valley in 1975. For the benefit of new residents, this point is near the steps which lead upwards towards the upper pathway in The Valley.
The positive effects of this development would be to open up new walkways from the north side of the town to the upper Valley, the church, the New Abbey Road, and the old right of way to New Abbey Cemetery. By allowing more people to have access to the upper Valley and the St Brigid's Well area, it could help to reverse the trend in recent years of these areas being used for drinking sessions, resulting at present in a high level of litter and vandalism, and making it a no-go area at night.
The overall effect for the future would be to have public access to both sides of the river throughout the entire centre of Kilcullen.
As a trustee of The Valley, I have had discussions with a representative of the Canoe Club regarding the Canoe Club development, and with a representative of the developer. I believe that the river walkways and the proposed bridge represents a positive step for the future of the riverside area, and that it will secure for the future the public access to both sides of the river in the centre of Kilcullen.
Based on these discussions, and having studied the proposals, I would recommend that this development take place.
Jim Collins,
Valley trustee,
19th March 2006.
The above Valley Bridge proposal was presented to the Kilcullen Community Action meeting on 20 March. Points were raised on the desirability of linking a community amenity area with a property development.
Firstly, it could result in more people using the Valley in the future. Secondly, the present cost of work, maintenance, and insurance is currently being borne by the community; should the developer contribute towards these costs in the future?
It was decided to put the project, with drawings, on display in The Heritage Centre, and to publish it on the Kilcullen Diary and in The Bridge Magazine for public comment.
A similar bridge proposal costing £100,000 was originally proposed by Jim Collins in 1978 to Kildare County Council. At that time, Kilcullen Community Council was prepared to pay for the construction, but KCC would not facilitate the Community Council with a landing area at the Council Yard.
