Village

New Ballisodare group will improve

BALLISODARE is getting a new footpath from the village to the fisheries, road upgrades and a new bottle bank.

It’s part of a series of measures being addressed by the Council in conjunction with the newly reformed Ballisodare Community Council.

Councillors Declan Bree and Thomas Healy both raised motions on the village after meeting residents last week.

They raised the issue of derelict properties in the village, the need for a pedestrian crossing, better access to the river, improved speed control on the approach roads to the village, a bottle bank and a bus stop off the Main Street.

Cllr Bree called on the Council to collaborate with the residents to progress improvements to the village. Cllr Healy said the pedestrian crossing near Toolan’s former shop in particular had raised concerns.

He said there needed to be extra signs put up because cars were coming from the Ballisodare side just seem to “drive straight through” the pedestrian crossing.

Cllr Marie Casserly said a recent survey of residents had been very useful but noticed some overlap between Ballisodare Community Council and the Tidy Towns committee.

Responding, Director of Services Tom Kilfeather said that the Council had been “engaging extensively directly with Ballisodare Community Council in recent times and will continue to do so.”

He said funding was secured to pursue further enhancements along the river in 2018 as well as reconstructing the road from the Super Valu roundabout out to Belladrehid. As part of these works they will provide a footpath from the village to the fisheries. They’ ll also help the Community Council seek funding for a pedestrian crossing and appropriate Bus Stop in 2018.

In the last few weeks they’ve also identified three sites as potentially appropriate locations for a bottle bank facility to be put in place in Q1 of next year.