‘Mobile fence’ issue at Luke’s Bridge beauty spot could be solved this year
A PROBLEM of a “mobile fence” – a wire fence strung across the road – on the well known Luke’s Bridge road in north Sligo could be solved this year. The road runs close to Benbulben and offers scenic views, while the car park near the bridge is used by many as a starting point to climb the mountain.
The problem of the fence has been ongoing for many years but a plan by Sligo County Council to replace it with a sheep grid could finally happen by the end of this year.
At a Sligo-Drumcliffe Municipal District meeting Councillor Thomas Healy asked for an update in relation to a piece of ground which is being made available to the council to “address the ongoing concerns with access to Luke’s Bridge for sheep farmers to and from the mountain”. He was told by acting director of services Emer Concannon that the council had engaged with the respective landowner to discuss access arrangements.
But she said that it would more than likely be the third or fourth quarter of the year before this could be dealt with as the roads crew would be very busy over the coming months completing the roads programme
Cllr Healy said that after “a lot of work being done behind the scenes by myself and Cllr Gilroy talking to the farmer” they didn’t “want this to lapse”. He said: “We want to make sure that this happens. It is important for all the farmers up there what we are proposing to put in. It will be of benefit to everyone.” He said that time was of the essence and he wanted the council to make contact with the landowner concerned and let him know that they haven’t forgot about it.
Cllr Marie Casserly said that she had had two motions down previously about this and had spoken to the landowner as well.
She felt it was “very unfair just to mention two councillors as having been involved as this has been brought up over the years”.
She said that even about a week and half ago again she got a call from somebody about the fence that is across a public road.
“It is dangerous and people who are travelling there and don’t know the area are not sure what they should do. It’s a public road but they don’t know should they turn around or should they take down the fence, drive through and put it back up. It is something that needs to be resolved and Cllr Clarke had a similar motion in on this a couple of years ago with myself and it is ogoing. It is not just something that has come up in the last six or 12 months.”
Cll Donal Gilroy said he was delghted that this was going to happen this year. He felt that what Cllr Healy was referring to was that there was “one stumbling block” and he and Cllr Healy met with the acting chief executive and “I think we removed that stumbling block”.
He said that “nobody is saying that everybody isn’t fighting for it” but he said that “the deal has been done now and it is important that it is got across the line”.
Cllr Healy said that was exactly how it happened. “We are dealing with one farmer who has the parcel of ground and I want to make sure that we get it over the line and done and dusted. It is something that has been going on down in that area for a long number of years and we have an opportunity now to address it,” he said.