NAAS 26 March 2003: Roselawn residents in Naas have won a long battle to have two rights-of-way in their estate officially blocked off.
They claimed vandalism and late night anti social behaviour in their estate was due to the two lane ways which connect their estate to Woodlands and the Blessington Road.
On Tuesday, after sometimes heated debate Naas Town Councillors voted 7-2 to close both walkways. All statutory procedures have been followed including an oral hearing of submissions in Naas town Hall on 13 February. The independent facilitator at the hearings recommended closure of the rights-of-way.
His recommendation was proposed by Cllr Charlie Byrne (FF) at the March meeting of Naas Town Council. He said it had been ‘shocking’ to hear what the residents of Roselawn had suffered especially at night time and at weekends when they put their case at the oral hearings. “It was a lot worse than any of us could understand,” he said. He believed the residents should get their life back and be able to have a night’s sleep and not worry that their cars or property would be vandalised by people going through the estate at night.
He told of one incident when two girls were fighting on the road and youths singing at 4am. “I don’t think any of us in our right minds would like to live with that kind of carry on, because of these particular blackguards,” Cllr Byrne said. He had no doubt after hearing the recommendation from the oral hearing facilitator that these walkways should be closed.
The proposal was seconded by Cllr Mary Glennon who said she had heard both sides of the argument. “I have had phone calls and letters from people making very reasonable and articulate views for keeping them open, but on balance I feel the people who are suffering there are deserving of our protection by closing the walkways,” she said.
Cllr Pat McCarthy was in favour of accepting the report and closing the walkways. He called the situation ‘a terrible state of affairs’ and said Roselawn residents shouldn’t have to put up with such behaviour. In an ideal world, he believed there would be walkways through different estates allowing children especially to take short cuts.
Cllr Pat O’Reilly agreed they were put in ‘for good reason’. He had come to the conclusion that a small minority of ‘thugs’ are now ‘running these facilities’. He hoped these young people will see the damage they have done to the area as there were people in those areas that wished to see both rights-of-way stay open.
Cllr Seamie Moore expressed mixed feelings on the proposal. He told how 95% of Roselawn residents want the pathways shut but added that the considerations of other - bigger - estates should also be taken into account. “There are letters from Woodlands and Kings Furze asking us to keep the walkway open,” he stressed. Cllr Moore said such routes have been protected by the Council in the past as part of an integration system linking estates in the town. “If we close them, we’re going to isolate people,” he felt.
He said harsh words had been used about the people doing the damage in Roselawn who were called ‘vandals’ and ‘drug addicts’ at the oral hearings. “They are saying all these people are coming from Woodlands, and if we close the link walkway we will be finished with this problem. You close the walkway to Woodlands and the only people using the Tesco walkway are the people from Roselawn.
“We’re being asked to make a decision to give Roselawn privacy and separation from everyone else in the town, but we have a responsibility to have a safe pedestrian system and can’t ignore rules and regulations in our Development Plan just for Roselawn. We must promote integration around the town, as we have done with the old Railway Line.”
Cllr Moore said he understood that damage is being caused in Roselawn but said the Gardai should be dealing with most of the problems. ``All-night disturbances until 6am. Where are the Gardai?” He countered a claim by Roselawn residents that they had the ‘full backing of the Gardai that the closures would be the answer’. “We met the Gardai. The inspectors said there were no extra levels of crime in Roselawn and the superintendent stated he would submit instances of crime in that area for the last 12 months. The Gardai are emphatically denying they ever said it should be closed.
“We have to uphold law and order in every form and if the Gardai are not doing it, we should be thumping the table to get them down there!,” he almost shouted in his exasperation. “To identify all the problems of Roselawn is ‘passing through’ is a terrible description of your neighbours in Kingsfurze’.
Cllr Willie Callaghan (FF) supported the proposal but felt if they were closed with a brick wall, ‘the offenders could still congregate behind it’. He felt it was ‘a combination of thugs and vandals from all over the town that congregate in that area’.
Cllr Anthony Egan asked: “Once we start down the road of closures, where do we stop?” He said most incidents seem to be drink related but that also applied to the town’s Main Street. “Every single shop on the Main Street has had windows smashed. It’s gone beyond a joke. This is a Law & Order issue.” He felt the ‘yobs’ would not be punished by the closures, as they would simply cause hassle elsewhere. But it would mean kids walking on the road, competing with traffic.
He said his heart ‘goes out to the people of Roselawn who cannot get to sleep at night’. However, he felt the solution is to get the Gardai down there and arrest those causing problems and to ‘sort it out’.
Since the introduction of bye-laws prohibiting the drinking of alcohol in public places he said he had seen ‘very little action on this’. “Why do we as a Council make a decision about closing off a walkway but won’t cry from the rooftops about people living in fear of a bunch of yobs tanked up on drink?” he demanded adding: “If we close off that walkway, we may as well close off the Main Street.”
He believed the ‘yob issue’ will simply move from one part of town to some other estate. “It’s time we woke up as a Council and demanded something is done about it.” He said the Council should seek a programme for action from the local Gardai as to how they propose dealing with the ‘yob’ problem. “It’s also an issue for parents, the pubs and organisations. Once you close off a right-of-way, are we going to be like South Africa was, putting up fences?”
He could not support the motion.
He was angrily interrupted by Cllr Willie Callaghan who demanded a decision be made ‘instead of sitting on the fence’. Cllr Egan told him he ‘was prepared to listen to every councillor’s views’.
Mayor Timmy Conway said he would be voting to close the walkways saying people should be allowed to live in peace. He said a ‘long and lengthy’ legal process had been gone through already.
Cllr Moore asked for a report from the town engineer, and was told there was none. The engineer, John McGowan, said the matter had gone to a public enquiry. Cllr Moore said the oral hearing chairman had ‘simply sat down and heard submissions but ‘the only people he met were residents of Roselawn’. The town clerk angrily retorted that ‘a facilitator only hears’ and anybody who had wished to seek an oral hearing had the right to do so.
Cllr Charlie Byrne believed the problems in Roselawn had effected house prices but was told by Cllr Eibhlin Bracken: “That’s ridiculous” and Cllr Moore commented: “The price of houses in Iraq tonight ....”
Charlie Byrne insisted the Mayor allow him speak as proposer of the motion. He said he was not stating that the culprits are from the next estate. “There are more houses being robbed, more cars being damaged than in my area (Lakeside Park). As an elected representative I would not live in an area where there is an element of fear in people going to bed,” he said.
Votes to close of both rights-of-way were passed by 7-2 with Cllrs Moore and Egan against.
