By Sean Moriarty

Anti-social issues at a Killarney estate are to be raised at a Ballyspillane Community Interagency Committee meeting in February.

BOLLARDS: Mayor Marie Moloney believes the time is right to remove bollards from Ballyspillane

While there have been some improvements at the troubled estate, where a small few make life for the vast majority very difficult, there are also new issues that have come to light.

Both Mayor Marie Moloney and Cllr John O’Donoghue addressed this week’s meeting of Killarney Municipal District.

Cllr Moloney called for bollards placed at the rear of some properties to be removed. The bollards were initially put in place around Easter 2020 to prevent the sport of road bowls taking place on the estate’s back lanes.

At the time, residents were complaining about steel balls crashing into the rear doors of their properties, day and night.

That now seems to have stopped but the bollards are causing access issues to the property owners.

Mayor Moloney told the meeting how a coal delivery truck tried to access properties there. As a result of the bollards the driver had to driver over a green area and ended up stuck for a few hours.

Town engineer, John Ahern following Moloney’s request, said he would bring her proposal to a Ballyspillane Community Interagency Committee meeting in February.

“The bollards were only ever put in place as a temporary measure,” he told the meeting. “I will need to discuss this with the Gardai and the residents but if everyone is in agreement we can remove the bollards.”

Meanwhile Cllr O’Donoghue raised concerns that a group of evergreen trees near the estate’s entrance was providing a hideout for those involved in anti-social behaviour.

“I personally know two individuals who have had the windows of their cars smashed by projectiles being thrown out by young people hiding behind the trees. I have spoken to An Garda Síochána about the matter and they have conceded it is a problem area for them as they can’t be expected to have the resources to man the area 24 hours a day,” Cllr O’Donoghue told the meeting.

“On the rare occasions they do manage to catch some of the offenders, they are too young to do anything with bar take them home where very often the children tell their parents they didn’t throw anything and there the matter ends.”

He said that several local motorists living in neighbouring areas like Spa, Kilcummin and Tiernaboul are forced to take alternative routes home as do they do not feel safe driving past these trees.

“This is completely unacceptable for a main road in our town. I accept it is a policing matter, but I feel there is an onus on us as a public authority to aid the process where possible,” added Killarney’s newest councillor.

“Anyone who has followed my motions since I began in the Council will know that cutting down trees is not high on my priority list, but in this case I feel that it is the only option due to public safety concerns.”