McCourt raises lake amenities, road works and traffic safety

A number of amenity and infrastructure issues were raised by Cllr Julie McCourt at the February meeting of the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District. She asked whether outdoor exercise equipment could be installed along the lakeshores of Lough Ennell. In response, the district office said it would work with the Sports Partnership and the Community Section to explore the initiative in line with the proposed outdoor recreation strategy.

Welcoming the reply, Cllr McCourt said the equipment would likely be well used and added that similar facilities could also be considered at other lakeshores across the district.

She also sought an update on works at Church Avenue and was informed that permanent works are scheduled to be carried out in the first quarter of 2026, subject to approval of the works estimates.

In a separate motion, Cllr McCourt called for pebble dash to be applied to the wall at the entrance to Glenmore Wood on the Dublin Road, Mullingar. The district office said the wall is long and high, and that the adjoining landowner is a state agency. It confirmed the municipal district would liaise with the adjoining landowner regarding replastering works.

Cllr McCourt queried whether the estate had been taken in charge. Director of services Deirdre Reilly confirmed that it had, meaning the council is responsible for the wall. However, she noted that due to its size, any works would be costly and would require a site visit and assessment by the district engineer.

She added that, following the council’s recently agreed taking-in-charge policy, similar requests could arise across the district and the associated costs would need to be carefully considered.

Cllr McCourt also called for safety ramps, additional signage and other traffic-calming measures to slow vehicles approaching the woodland walk crossing at Lough Ennell. The district office said additional road markings would be installed but noted that ramps cannot be provided as the location lies outside the 50kmh speed limit zone.