Concern over Herbert Road car park plan

A NUMBER of residents of Herbert Road have expressed their concern at plans to demolish a house and extend the car park there.

The plans have gone out to public consultation.

‘Some of us are concerned about the planning and environmental and public policy implications and want to encourage responses to the proposal before the council deadline closes,’ said a resident of the street.

‘Wicklow County Council now intends to destroy the fine red-brick house with garden, called St Paul’s Lodge, and to replace it with car park spaces and an extra entrance. It has also prepared an outline plan for a future multi-storey car park on the adjacent existing car park behind Holy Redeemer. It intends to reduce on-street parking further,’ said the man, who preferred not to be named. He and the others, he said, intend to make a submission to the council.

‘Buying the house with public money to destroy it during a housing crisis, the council is presumably beating the market value (put at €695,000 in 2012).’

The man said the costs of purchase or demolition or of hard-surfacing the large green area were not revealed.

‘St Paul’s Lodge was built in 1904 in solid Victorian style for the headmaster of St Paul’s School, which stood where the present adjacent car park is,’ he said.

‘Is this the best use of public money? Is it good to increase traffic flow even more around our street? Is more pollution from cars the best way to promote Bray business?’

He said that by objecting to the proposal, people can ‘put down a marker against further expansion of a polluting car park in the centre of Bray and ask councillors to consider building houses on their land instead of car parks and more shops.’

The car park plans are available for inspection at the offices of Bray Municipal District. They went out to public consultation last week, with six weeks for submissions to be made. Engineer Liam Bourke said that there is going to be a parking shortage when the Florence Road development starts.

‘We have been looking at different options,’ said Mr Bourke. ‘We looked at putting a multi-storey car park at Herbert Road. In the meantime, the option came through to purchase an adjoining property that suited that particular need.’