Calls have been made for Wicklow County Council to ensure that there are no cost overruns on the planned extension to the Blessington E-Greenway.
Councillors heard during the February meeting of Baltinglass Municipal District that site walkovers over the last 12 months had found that the project required more construction work than initially anticipated. This had pushed up the estimated cost of the project from €8.5 million to €15 million.
Cllr Vincent Blake (FG) welcomed the project s progress, but expressed concerns about the increased costs. It s something in this country that we don t seem to take seriously enough and that s escalating costs .
Referring to the example of the cost overruns for the new children s hospital, Cllr Blake said: €15 million is a huge amount of money, let s ensure to come in on budget .
Communities in south Wicklow are in a state of shock after Bank of Ireland said its branches in Carnew, Tinahely and Rathdrum will close permanently from September.
Bank of Ireland announced plans on Monday to close 88 branches across the country as it says in-branches visits have fallen as customers move to digital banking services. The bank s decision to close three branches in the county provoked a backlash from local public representatives who highlighted that these closures will affect communities in rural areas who are struggling to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The three affected branches currently offer self service banking and advice. Staff working at the these branches were informed of the bank s decision on Monday morning. The Bank said there would be no compulsory redundancies and staff can apply for re-deployment or voluntary redundancy.
The topic of dog fouling is a huge issue in the west of the county, according to local councillors.
The issue was raised during the February meeting of Baltinglass Municipal District. Garvan Hickey, district adminitrator, told members that letters had been received about the issue of dog fouling, particularly in the Blessington area.
Cllr Gerry O Neill (Ind) said he spoken to the environment section of the local authority as dog fouling was a huge issue for the area . I suggest laws should be enforced, People have to be held accountable. It s only a small group as the majority of dog owners are responsible. No matter how many bins there are, we still have irresponsible dog owners. I d ask for the dog wardens to be more active in carrying out summons and following through if people insist on taking their dog out and leaving dog dirt behind.
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Proposals to upgrade the main regional route east-west across the south of the county are being considered by the Baltinglass Municipal District.
The topic of the R747, which runs through the south and west of the county between Arklow and Ballitore in Co. Kildare, was raised during a discussion of the roads at the January meeting of the Baltinglass Municipal District.
Cllr Vincent Blake (FG) noted that the R747 between Arklow and N9 was the primary road for traffic travelling in the south of the county. He suggested that an upgrade of the road should be made a priority.
Dermot Graham, Senior Executive Engineer, said there were plans to do more work on the road, subject to funding. A stretch of the R747 between Tinahely and Hacketstown had been re-surfaced in 2016 with a proposal to re-surface another section of the road, depending on funding. Mr Graham noted that around two-thirds of east to west traffic across the district used this road, which was important for transport thro