By Sean Moriarty

Opinion: Áras Phádraig – Think of the traffic as councillors set to vote today on its future , the seven elected members of the Killarney Municipal District will vote on the future of Áras Phádraig.

The decision they make will shape the centre of our town for decades to come. But as they prepare to cast their votes, we must ask but at what cost?
On the table is a plan that includes the development of a large medical centre on the site.
Councillors may claim their hands are tied. They may say it’s the only way to fund the long-awaited redevelopment.
But since when does the HSE have the final say over a town-owned site?
After all, we’ve been repeatedly told that sites like St. Finan’s cannot be transferred to agencies like the Land Development Agency. Why is this any different?
There is already a suitable option for a modern Primary Care Centre. the soon-to-be-vacated District hospital on St Margaret’s just outside town.
That is where it belongs. Not in the middle of a congested area like Lewis Road.
Let’s be clear: a six-storey development in the centre of Killarney would be a disaster for traffic.
The town is already gridlocked on busy days.
Adding a major new medical facility to an already strained area will only make things worse.
And what about the residents of the Lewis Road cottages? The impact on their homes and daily lives hasn’t been seriously considered.
Killarney has a long history of letting state-owned buildings rot while plans go nowhere.
Just look at St Finan’s or Pretty Polly.
Yes, the Aras has to be redeveloped, and it is long overdue, but its purpose is better served as a cultural centre (at the same height as the current building) and not as a medical centre.
It’s time for our councillors to stop rubber-stamping bad decisions and start fighting for sensible planning.
Killarney deserves better. Today’s vote should be about more than ticking boxes,
It should be about protecting the future of the town.