Chestnut Drive residents in the dark over street lights

Regan Kelly

Residents in a Mullingar estate have been voicing their concerns for nearly three years, as their area has been without adequate street lights.

It’s causing significant distress for the people who live in the area, especially as they head into another winter of dark evenings.

As many home owners work late at night and early in the morning, concerns are being raised about the safety and basic needs of residents.

Chestnut Drive dwellers have told the Westmeath Examiner some new lights have been installed, but have yet to be turned on, and there are too few.

One resident, Darach McEoin, said: "When you come into the estate, there are two lights and they were just recently turned on, but there are none at the end of the estate, leaving most of the place in darkness.

"They dug up the footpaths and put in some new lights around seven or eight months ago, but the old lights are still there just a couple of metres away from them and none of them are now working; they haven’t even switched the new ones on either."

He added: "It’s pitch dark and it’s causing people problems. Some people have cameras on their houses, but you can’t pick anything up on them because it is pitch black.

"Some people keep tools in their cars, and we just can’t see anything in the estate."

Occupants have been in contact with local councillors and TDs, who have been trying to figure out what the difficulty is.

Cllr Ken Glynn

Cllr Ken Glynn has been raising the issue of the lights at Chestnut Drive since 2021, including at the July meeting of the county council, when he also mentioned a number of estates, (Cara Gove, Green Park, Brookfield, Newtown Lawns, Clonmore), where in some cases lights have been malfunctioning for more than a year.

“At that meeting, I said directly to the chief executive, Barry Keogh, and to the director of transportation, Jean Ryan, that they needed to sort this out, and since that meeting, I know efforts have been going on behind the scenes to find a resolution,” said Cllr Glynn.

He said some new lights had been installed while work was being done on footpaths, and that approach will continue where other civil works are required.

Cllr Glynn says he has “put the pressure on” the authorities and he is “hopeful of a resolution soon”.

Minister Peter Burke

Minister Peter Burke’s office has also been engaging with the council for some time. He said in a statement: "I have been contacted by locals on the public lights in the Chestnut Drive area. Following contact with Westmeath County Council, works were carried out on a section of the estate in July/August this year."

Outlined in Peter Burke’s comment to the Examiner was the council’s response to him, in the summer: "Chestnut Drive Estate in Mullingar continues to experience legacy public lighting issues, ie, direct fed and has extensive use of concentric cabling throughout.

"This means that our public lighting maintenance contractor is unable to repair the existing public lights in the estate without the need for a full infrastructural upgrade of the public lighting network.

"New lights will be erected at this location as soon as possible, with a service request to ESBN for a new connection being made tomorrow.

"We are continuing to work closely with ESBN to repair the remaining lights that are currently not working in the estate. This is an interim measure only, and a full infrastructure and electrical upgrade will be regardless."

The majority of the estate remains in darkness, even after the council’s latest reply to Peter Burke’s office.

The minister’s office has again raised the issue with council officials recently, and received this reply: "These cases are all complicated, where the cables used no longer meet safety standards and electricians are prohibited from working on the repairs of any kind.

"As I understand it, this is a nationwide issue, and it affects legacy cabling issues in estates up and down the country. I am raising this at a ministerial level to push for the necessary funding to proceed. No resident deserves to be in the dark this winter, and I fully appreciate the upset and frustrations that residents feel."

Residents

Other residents have also been in contact with the Westmeath Examiner regarding the situation.

Joe Gallagher said: "For the last two years, residents of Chestnut Drive, Mullingar have been living without any functioning street lighting, raising serious concerns about safety and security.

"The lack of lighting has made it dangerous for pedestrians, especially children and elderly residents, to walk at night.

"It has also increased the risk of anti-social behaviour and property damage in the area," he said.

"Residents are calling for immediate action to restore lighting and ensure the estate is safe, visible and welcoming once again, particularly as the darker evenings set in," Mr Gallagher said.

Paul Mangan added: "It’s been going on for a couple of years now, and we have no lights. It’s dangerous for elderly neighbours and children; we need the lights sorted as soon as possible."

Breda Daly added: "This period of extended darkness places every resident at risk, especially the many elderly people who live here.

"Residents are expected to meet property tax obligations in the coming months.

“This is difficult to justify when a basic public service like street lighting has been absent for nearly a year, with no clear plan or communication from those responsible for maintaining our streets.

"We ask Westmeath County Council to acknowledge this concern publicly and provide a concrete plan and date for resolution."