FINGAL County Council’s commencement of work on a road in Donabate has been welcomed.
The work will provide for a new Turvey Avenue pedestrian entrance and crossing into Newbridge Demesne.
Local councillor Paul Mulville (SD) said: “As many will be aware, the council has now begun works on Turvey Avenue to provide a new pedestrian entrance into Newbridge Demesne, as well as an associated signalised crossing.
”The operations department (at the council) has confirmed that works are due to take two to three weeks for the civil works to be complete on the wall, crossing and pathways.
“When this is done, the council will apply to the ESB for an electricity connection, which always takes a few weeks more.
“The works include a new internal pathway inside Newbridge Demesne, circa 35 metres, to connect the new entrance to the existing path system.
“Repair works are ongoing on a phased basis to repair the historic estate wall around Newbridge, including the broken sections along Turvey.”
Cllr Mulville said a new pedestrian entrance was first proposed at this location back in 1986 by the Parks Department, “due to the great foresight of then County Parks Superintendent Michael Lynch”.
“The plans for this can still be seen on display in Newbridge House,” he said.
“However, more recently it was decided that the entrance would be located at the old ‘Red door’ labourers’ gate, as per the local area plan and planning permission connected to the Beresford housing development.
“After further examination of the matter though, the council’s roads engineers decided that it was not safe to go ahead with a crossing at the ‘Red door’ due to the lack of adequate sight-lines and as such it would not be a safe place to put in a crossing.”
Cllr Mulville said he has been working closely on the issue with his local colleagues, Cllr Adrian Henchy (FF), Dublin Fingal TD Brendan Ryan (Lab) and other elected representatives.
“In particular, I’d like to highly commend local Turvey residents Breda Dockrell and Jeddy McGuinness who have been fighting hard on this matter for a long number of years,” he added.
“It was also a matter high on the agenda for the old Parish Council, now Donabate Portrane Community Council, since housing development began apace along Turvey.”