Meath ‘disappointed’ that Louth won’t complete footpath

Louth CC seeking ‘joint initiative’ as path will mainly be used by Meath households

A STRETCH of road right on the Louth/Meath border on the Dublin Road is proving to be a ‘no man’s land’ after Meath CC expressed ‘disappointment’ with Louth CC’s decision not to construct a badly needed footpath from Deepforde to Five Oaks.

The path would help develop a safe link from the Southgate Shopping Centre into Drogheda and vice versa, to be used by people living in both Louth and Meath.

Cllr Stephen McKee had raised the matter and got correspondence from Louth, stating ‘Louth County Council has no plans to provide a footpath at the above location at present. The matter will be reviewed with Meath CC to see if a joint initiative for the provision of the footpath could be undertaken as the footpath will service mainly the households resident in County Meath.’

He said he was ‘disappointed that Louth was behaving in such a manner’ especially with so many young families resident in the area.

‘ They have no interest in it and it would benefit Five Oaks people as well.

‘ The boundary between Louth and Meath should not be an impediment when there’s a road safety issue,’ he stated at last week’s Meath CC area meeting in Duleek.

Director of Services Fiona Lawless said the much needed path had been raised at a meeting of Meath and Louth CC management teams last week when they met on the Boundary Review issue.

‘It is very much needed,’ she told Cllr McKee, adding that she was ‘disappointed with the response’ from Louth CC. ‘It’s like any road - everyone uses it.’

She said Meath County Council couldn’t go off spending money outside of the Meath CC area and said the councils have co-operated in the past.

She urged the Meath councillors to contact their Louth counterparts to forward the project. ‘It is a very important piece of infrastructure,’ Ms Lawless explained.

Cllr McKee also said ‘ there was a pot of money for Five Oaks for a footpath’ and that’s a question that needed to be answered as well.

‘ This would benefit everybody and it’s vital. There is to serve a high population and is not just any old path,’ he remarked.

Ms Lawless added that Meath CC were ‘surprised’ by the whole thing as well.

The stretch of busy road on the Dublin Road, Drogheda, where the path - from Meath - ends suddenly. Louth CC want Meath to go on a ‘joint initiative’ to complete it as far as Five Oaks.