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RESTORE OUR RIGHT OF WAY: Residents from Muckross View, Killarney are calling on the Council to restore the right of way to a laneway near their homes. Pictured were: Joe Doran, Emily Doran O'Riordan, Mags Casey, Fr Simon Twomey, Robert Taddei, Michael Kenny and Paddy Keane. Photo: Michelle Crean

By Michelle Crean

Killarney locals this week called on the Council to reopen a right of way near their homes after it was temporarily closed – over eight years ago.

Residents from Muckross View voiced their annoyance during Wednesday morning’s Killarney Municipal District meeting – saying that they have waited long enough for the walkway to be reopened.

Closure of the walkway means that residents of 25 homes in the area have no option but to walk an extra quarter of a mile to access their local shops after the Council temporarily closed the right of way due to fears of structural damage to a nearby wall.

The annoyed locals say waiting over eight years to have the walkway reopened is not acceptable and something has to be done now.

Resident Paddy Keane, who was part of a delegation brought to the Council meeting in Killarney Town Hall by Cllr John Sheahan, spoke at the meeting saying they were told at the time that it was temporarily closed due to “a safety issue” as part of the wall was structurally unsound.

He said since its closure locals have had to take an alternative route down Countess Grove onto Countess Road and onto Muckross Road to go to Centra Applegreen, as well as the Dromhall and Randles Court Hotels.

“What should be about 200 yards is now a quarter of a mile,” Paddy told the Killarney Advertiser this week.

“The reason we’re doing this now is there’s a housing development nearby in what is the remnants of Muckross View. The section the Council closed we want it reopened.”

During the meeting Killarney Municipal District Engineer John Ahern said that the Council needs to view the files to establish the ownership of the land and the right of way.

“This particular issue is a historic matter and I’d say a complex matter for various reasons,” Mr Ahern said.

“I need to establish the clear facts behind the whole scenario. Killarney Town Council took those actions because of the fear of the structure of this particular wall. Before we can move forward and physically do something on the ground we have to establish the facts. At the moment I have requested all the older files to establish the facts and it’s going to take a number of weeks to sort that out. If it is established that we are in a position to move forward we’d have to organise a structural report and bring in a structural solution to make that particular area safe to reopen it and establish a cost as to what is involved.”

Councillors in attendance agreed that the right of way should be reopened.

“It isn’t today or yesterday we’re highlighting this case,” Cllr Donal O’Grady said.

“I’ve had three motions to have it reinstated. I’m calling now on our engineer to re-instate the wall and I will certainly give an allocation to that. It means the world to the people living in Muckross View.”