Council kicks Kilcullen car park to touch, again

Kildare County Council has no current plans to purchase land in Kilcullen for a public car park, writes Brian Byrne. That was the blunt answer at yesterday's meeting of the Kildare-Newbridge MD to a motion by Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer that the Council consider such a purchase when reviewing the Capital Budget in May.

The issue has been live since the redevelopment of Market Square was first mooted in 2017 and subsequently passed in a Part 8 process in 2022. A key part of the plan is the pedestrianisation of the square. Though the redevelopment, now costed at €1.4 million, is stalled indefinitely due to lack of funding, the proposed loss of 14 car parking spaces in the existing square, as well as a reduction in the number of on-street spaces in the downtown Kilcullen area was a major point of contention.

Speaking to this month's motion, Cllr O'Dwyer said Kilcullen is a vibrant town with predominantly independent small businesses and, to keep the town in business, the Council needs to invest in it. "The provision of a public car park is Step One, in my opinion," she told the meeting, noting that apart from the square and on-street spaces, all car parking in the town is provided by private car park owners. "Kilcullen is a destination town for the greater hinterland such as Dunlavin, Crookstown, Old Kilcullen and Brannockstown, where people come from to do their shopping, go to the doctor, get their hair done, and attend the cinema. People come to Kilcullen for all manner of reasons and the rural areas surrounding Kilcullen are not serviced by public transport and it is also not always practical to cycle or use public transport depending on the purpose of your visit to town."

In June 2022, Kildare County Council said they were committed to exploring and developing alternative parking options within reasonable walking distance of Market Square and Main Street. Two years earlier, the Council had said they were 'actively pursuing' alternative parking solutions in the vicinity of Market Square and a 'number of definite options' were being pursued.

However, a plan for extra public parking in Fallons car park, for which planning permission was granted in 2021, has not been engaged with by the Council. At that time, this had been hailed as a breakthrough in the situation. Through the whole process, many local businesses have expressed their concerns about the parking plans, or lack of them. 

At the recent MD meeting, the official response stated 'The requirement for additional car parking will need to be considered in the context of the shift towards increased access to retailing by public transport, cycling and walking. The resources to deliver a carpark in the Capital Budget 2025-2027 will require an assessment in the context of other commitments and priorities already identified in the current programme and in the context of a review of the parking byelaws for Kilcullen'.

Long kick to touch clears the ball from the decision line.

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