Concern over Pearse Road Garda marking

RESIDENTS close to the Garda Station on Pearse Road have raised concerns that Garda parking spaces have already been marked out before the consultation process is over.

Councillor Declan Bree raised the issue at the meeting of Sligo Municipal District last week.

“The public will be saying it’s (the consultation process) a charade,” said Cllr Bree to the Executive.

“The residents of Old Market Street are asking me about that,” he said.

Council Engineer Brian Flynn told the members that they had received a request some weeks earlier for additional parking spaces on Pearse Road for the Garda Station and a creche but did not say who made the request.

Mr Flynn admitted they looked at parking on Pearse Road from the Garda Station up as far as the former Ulster Bank building “outside of the process.”

Councillor Bree replied that he understood any new parking bye-laws or arrangements were a “reserve function” of the Municipal District i.e. only councillors could approve changes.

“It would appear this was done without the approval of the Council,” he said.

“The residents are annoyed to say the least,” he added.

Director of Services with Sligo County Council Tom Kilfeather agreed to look again at the issue.

“It would have been done for genuine intentions,” he told Councillor Bree.

“We’ ll have a look at it again, you have a valid point,” he conceded.

Councillor Bree added that members of the public had been thinking it was the Gardaí who were marking the spaces for themselves, and not the County Council.

The Bye-law plan was presented to members at the same meeting.