Latest news with #SaveCastletownGateProtectors
The Journal
3 days ago
- The Journal
OPW says it will make a report to gardaí after staff confronted by Castletown House protestors
THE OFFICE OF Public Works (OPW) said today that it will make a report to gardaí after claiming that several members of staff were confronted by protestors near Castletown House in Co Kildare this morning An OPW spokesperson said that shortly after 7am, contractors on site were 'verbally harassed' by members of the public, after a service vehicle accessed the Castletown estate via the contested Lime Avenue entrance. The OPW announced last week that essential contractors and supplier vehicles would begin using Lime Avenue, a 3.5-metre-wide predestrian pathway, daily from yesterday. The move is opposed by local public representatives and community groups, including the Save Castletown Gate Protectors. Protesters say Lime Avenue, which links Castletown House to Celbridge town, is not suitable for vehicles and would put vulnerable pedestrians at risk. The OPW attempted to begin sending service traffic down the path yesterday, sparking a peaceful confrontation with at least 30 locals at the gate, with gardaí in attendance , but in the end no vehicles entered via Lime Avenue. This morning's dispute in part centred on whether OPW service vehicles should be accompanied. The OPW had previously agreed that service vehicles would be escorted by a small diesel buggy driving slowly at 10km/hr to ensure the safety of people nearby. However, this morning a service vehicle entered Lime Avenue without this escort. Gardaí were called to the scene of the protest yesterday. Andrew Walsh / The Journal Andrew Walsh / The Journal / The Journal Save Castletown Gate Protectors said this was a breach of public trust and disregard for prior safety commitments. Advertisement 'This morning shows neither the OPW nor the minister can be trusted,' the group said. However, the OPW said the vehicle went in at 7am, which is an hour and a half before the Lime Avenue gate officially opens to the public. Therefore, 'there was no requirement for the vehicle to be accompanied', the OPW said. It is possible to gain entry to the estate near the gate, even when it's not open. An OPW-owned diesel buggy pictured on Lime Avenue yesterday. Andrew Walsh / The Journal Andrew Walsh / The Journal / The Journal The OPW added that it will not tolerate any 'harassment of staff or contractors' on its properties. 'The OPW respects the rights of the community to protest peacefully. However, all workers have a right to dignity and respect in their workplace,' the OPW said. 'It is not possible to maintain a house of national historic significance and an estate of 227 acres without essential vehicles. In order to open Castletown House and to open the estate from dawn to dusk, access for these vehicles and services is required,' it said. In a statement to The Journal , the gate protector group said that one of their members spoke to security at the house this morning, enquiring if he was aware that service vehicles needed to be escorted. 'There was a discussion, it certainly wasn't abuse,' the group said. 'Should the Gardaí feel the need to discuss this further with us, we are more than willing to do so,' they added. The OPW previously used an entrance close to the M4 for service vehicle access to Castletown House, though the privately-owned pathway was closed off in 2023. This has led to over 19 months of protests, as the OPW have scrambled for a new access route for service vehicles . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Locals block OPW vehicles at Castletown House as dispute over access continues
Locals stopped essential service vehicles entering Castletown House estate in Celbridge, Co Kildare on Monday as the long-running dispute over public access to the site shows no sign of abating. On Monday morning Office of Public Works (OPW) staff attempted to use motorised buggies to accompany the vehicles from the Celbridge gate entrance along Lime Avenue, a path leading to the house used by locals and protesters, who claim it is not suitable for vehicles. Locals from the Save Castletown Gate Protectors (SCGP) group said the use of the route by service vehicles would make it unsafe for vulnerable pedestrians and people who use wheelchairs. Gardaí were also present at the scene of Monday's stand-off. READ MORE The dispute over access to Castletown House has been ongoing for 20 months. The house was acquired by the State in the 1990s and sits on a large estate that is popular with local walkers. The house, one of the most architecturally significant Palladian-style country homes in Ireland, was closed in 2023 in a dispute over a right of access to its lands. On the estate a 235-acre parcel of land that stretches from the M4 entrance to the house, was bought by a developer Kilross Properties in April 2023. The gate to Castletown House at Celbridge, Co Kildare. Photograph: Stephen Farrell The M4 entrance and nearby car park were closed to the public and to the OPW. OPW staff returned to Castletown House on April 10th for the first time in two years, with a goal of opening the house to the public at the end of May. Local representatives joined protesters at Monday's peaceful stand-off. They included Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly and Fianna Fáil TD Naoise Ó Cearúil, and councillors Rupert Heather (Lab), Nuala Killeen and Claire O'Rourke (both Social Democrats). [ Vandals cause €500,000 worth of damage to OPW site used to access Castletown House Opens in new window ] The OPW want four to five essential services vehicles to drive daily along Lime Avenue accompanied by a buggy. They announced this plan on social media on Friday. The State's property management agency said the use of the avenue is safe, citing a health and safety report carried out in 2024. Protesters from the SCGP group have proposed that any essential service vehicles are accompanied on foot by an OPW staff member. The OPW said this would be too costly, at €10,000 a year – a figure disputed by protesters. Locals want the entrance at the M4 Dublin to Galway motorway and nearby car park reopened to the public, which would also allow for ease of access for essential services vehicles. [ Challenge brought over alleged unauthorised erection of gates blocking access to Castletown House Opens in new window ] 'Lime Avenue is not the solution,' said Miriam Flynn, a member of the SCGP group. 'The solution required is for the Minister to do what's necessary for there to be access via the M4 entrance.' The OPW said it was developing an application for planning permission, which will be made this summer, for a visitor car park in the Kildare Innovation Centre. Ms Flynn criticised the delay in applying for this planning permission. Local woman Monica Joy, a member of the SCGP group, expressed frustration that local residents do not have proper access to the house and its grounds. 'If you take a drive around Celbridge, there are no amenities. There is no investment for communities even though huge numbers of houses have been built,' she said.
