SCC Update

20th December 2023

We wish to thank…

YOU!

Our fellow community members, for all of your support and dedication to the cause.

OUR DEPARTED COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Kevin, for taking the helm and steadying our course during the early days, and for putting it all on the line for so long.

Jean, for your long hours, representing the community on national radio, and your wizardry with words.

Dee, for keeping us ship-shape with agendas and minutes, and for stepping up from day one.

THE GATE PROTECTORS

Out in all weathers to ensure the safety of Lime Avenue for pedestrians. Your quick thinking diffused some tense situations recently. We recognise and appreciate your calm resolve, even when presented with unnecessary conflict.

OUR AMAZING COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS

Quiz - Annemarie and Roisin for organising an incredible evening of trivia, raising ¢2,800!!!

Bins - Thank you to Matt, Dermot, and all of the bin crew, for doing the “dirty work” to keep the demesne safe and pleasant for all visitors.

Walk - Susan and all for organising a wonderful festive walk through the demesne

Leaflets - CeCe and crew, for your tireless work to spread the news to homes in Celbridge and surrounding areas

Car stickers - Thanks once again to the amazing CeCe, we continue to have Save Castletown car stickers stocked in Supervalu Nallys, CBD Central, Creed, Walsh's Chemist and Halo Cafe. Show your support for only €5. A massive thanks to CeCe and our distributors who have raised over €1000 so far.

Social Admin - Amanda, Liz, John, Lawrence, Flora and everyone who gives their free time to keep our social communities a respectful space for discussion

We adapt as the campaign evolves...

Vinnie, former Deputy Chair, has stepped up as Chairperson of the Committee. He has been a representative of the Community alongside Treasa at OPW meetings, and an integral part of Save Castletown. Known by many of you, he has been a fierce leader in the campaign since day one.

We continue to follow our lines of enquiry across various fronts: legal, political, environmental and rights of way.

We have met in the preliminary stage of the working group. The working group has not yet formally convened as Terms of Reference have not yet been agreed. We have some concerns about the ToR, in particular the voting mechanism which could disadvantage our position. We continue to push back on this.

We have received the requested Risk Assessments from OPW, which:

Appear to have been produced or updated after we requested them, rather than in anticipation of their initial plan for vehicles to share Lime Avenue with pedestrians.
Focus on reinforcing the OPW’s case for staff vehicles up Lime Avenue, rather than weighing the actual risk to pedestrians from vehicular traffic.

We will raise these issues and more at the next preliminary meeting of the Working Group on Monday 18th December.

We will be taking a Christmas ‘break’. However we will still:

Progress work on pressing matters - e.g. the RoW project, responding to any planning submissions.
Be available for urgent communication with stakeholders, and our social channels and info@ email address will continue to be monitored, though intermittently due to family commitments.

You asked... ...We answered

Our YouTube channel was created, so that our video content and streams can be available to all, without barriers. Visit youtube.com/@savecastletown

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info@savecastletown.ie is open for any queries, ensuring your important questions don’t get lost in fast moving chats

Email us

We presented a comprehensive list of questions to OPW at the first preliminary meeting of the working group. Click here for complete list

We queried with KCC about closing and reopening the M4 gate daily. KCC determined that the M4 gate is on a public road and therefore cannot be closed at all. The OPW locked the gate in error for many years.

Our Right of Way Survey has achieved an incredible response. We are around 30% of our target already. Please take time while you’re with your family during Christmas, particularly to ask our older generations of relatives, to share their experiences of using Castletown by Right!

Take the right of way survey

We need you!!

We note the submission of a planning notice, which proposes the installation of two sets of gates, at the northern boundary with the public road and the southern boundary with Castletown House