Calls for 'uniformity' of paths at Coosan's Hillquarter

Calls have been made for 'uniformity' of paths at Coosan's Hillquarter area.

The motion was brought forward by Cllr Aengus O'Rourke in the February meeting of Athlone Moate Municipal District.

"There are already two sections of footpath in place on the left-hand side of the road between Clonbrusk and Hillquarter, but between them there is a gap of about 1km," said Cllr O'Rourke.

"Some houses step out onto a footpath, and others don't."

He proposed to join the two sections of the path, noting that Coosan is a "very well developed residential area with very many houses".

"We need to bring a bit of uniformity and safety to that section of road, and obviously it would need to be provided with lighting and the necessary facilities."

Cllr John Dolan, Cllr Paul Hogan, and Cllr John Gibbons shared their support for the motion, noting the area is busy and very built up.

"It's part of the 15 minute city vision," said Cllr Dolan. "It's a very busy road, I think it's a no-brainer to extend the path."

"From a safety point of view, it is a very busy and popular area for walking," said Cllr Hogan, adding that "many residents like to walk around the circuit in the evening time.

"It would be a brilliant facility, not just people in the area, but for others to use the walking route as well."

District Engineer Willie Ryan acknowledged that Hillquarter is an urban area, and encapsulates many housing developments "in a linear fashion".

He suggested the Community Involvement Scheme (CIS), funded by the Department of Transport and managed by local authorities, which enables communities to co-fund the repair, resurfacing, or drainage of local roads and cul-de-sacs.

"The CIS scheme has been very successful. We would anticipate that the community would support up to a minimum value of 8% of the scheme cost, or land in kind to make up some of its contribution.

"That's where we've had a major success in terms of footpaths in the region. I can't think of another mechanism other than the CIS scheme. It's a scheme that's slightly under subscribed at the moment, so there's a huge opportunity there if the community has the courage to make a planning application."

He added: "I would propose that we meet with community representatives out there that might be interested in walking schemes, and identifying the size area where the programs are required, and I'm certainly open to that."

Cllr O'Rourke was surprised by the response, noting that "it certainly wouldn't be what the community had in mind" that they would be expected to "put their hand in their pocket".

"I'm not sure I'm going back with that message," he said.