EXCLUSIVE
A MAJOR plan has been unveiled to help ease the serious traffic gridlock in Killarney, KillarneyToday.com can reveal.
Kerry County Council is in the process of acquiring a prime town centre site on Rock Road, on property owned by the Mercy Order, just past the long-standing convent and the entrance to the old Mercy laundry.
The parcel of land, at the edge of town heading towards the Tralee road, will be capable of providing parking for 190 cars and the required Part VIII public consultation process for the development will be initiated in the coming weeks.
It is understood the council plans to develop the site as a car and bus park and an overall plan to tie it in with the Lewis Road car park, in terms of catering for bus parking requirements, is in the pipeline.
The 1.25-acre site, just steps from the High Street junction, is set behind a landmark traditional stone wall and the development would require the wall to be set back a further 4.5m from the road with a new entrance to the car park provided.
A new footpath for pedestrians on the convent side of Rock Road will also be provided to link the new car/bus park to the town centre.
The acquisition of the site is being finalised and the consultation will commence shortly.
Mayor of Killarney, Cllr Niall Kelleher, welcomed the development saying it would provide much-needed capacity for car and bus parking in Killarney.
“It is ideally located on Rock Road and which will provide additional spaces for parking adjacent to the town centre. I urge people to examine the proposals when the public consultation is launched and to share their views,” he said.
News that Kerry County Council had earmarked a site for the development was first revealed by KillarneyToday,com last week and the proposal was ratified by the Killarney Municipal District Council at a briefing this Monday morning.
KillarneyToday.com further understands that the council is also in advanced negotiations to acquire a separate site, just north of the nursing home development on Rock Road, at Coolgrean Park, close to the grotto, and that the plan is to use develop that land for housing.
Killarney Municipal District Council chiefs and Kerry County Council engineering and planning specialists are in the process of implementing a new overall traffic management strategy for the town and the Rock Road project is a key factor in that.
KillarneyToday.com: To advertise email: news@killarneytoday.com or call 087-2229761
