The derelict site at the bend in Newbridge Road, which is now for sale, could be turned into a suitable space for young people and the community in Kilcullen, writing Brian Byrne.
Cllr Tracey O’Dwyer has petitioned Kildare County Council to purchase the site, which has an asking price of €175,000, for such a development. She suggests the funds could come from a recent program announced by Minister Heather Humphreys as part of city and town renewal.
“We have to take into account the needs of young people who are not interested in sports or other activities,” Cllr O’Dwyer told the Diary today, saying the requirement for a safe space where young people could ‘spend time together and chat’ was made clear to him by the teenagers themselves, their parents and the Garda.
Part of the site was once a two-storey building divided into four maisonettes, which is currently roofless and abandoned.
Acknowledging that the Council would need to assess whether the funding available would be sufficient to purchase and restore the site to the necessary standards, Cllr O’Dwyer said it could also be used for other community purposes.
She says Council is in principle in favor of buying a building for community use in Kilcullen. She had previously requested that they buy the former Bank of Ireland building, but that opportunity has now passed. “The timing and the availability of funds didn’t work out,” she said.
Photographs use politics — Privacy Policy
