Residents of Limerick Junction were shocked and taken totally unawares last week when they learned of a proposal by Tipperary County Council to open up a public walkway at the rear boundaries of their homes.
One resident said “this has come totally out of the blue and now we are to have total strangers able to walk just outside our back yards? What if this is used as a crime run, right behind our homes?”
The Council’s plan is to build a walkway from Solohead Cross to Limerick Junction. The Limerick Junction end of the walkway is planned to adjoin the rear of 29 homes in the village. This has caused great concern amongst residents, who have cited fear of crime as a result of public access to the rear of their homes. Residents want the walkway to exit the Racecourse at the railway station so that walkers can continue their walk on the recently renovated public footpath in front of their homes.
“We are all for recreation and walking, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of our safety and security”
“We are all for recreation and walking, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of our safety and security”, one resident said. “You go out the back of your house and you like to think it is a private, secure space. We are surprised at Tipperary Racecourse and Horse Racing Ireland. We engaged positively with their plans for an all-weather track, which will mean more traffic, floodlights and other issues. We supported them in their plans. However, they never mentioned that they were conceding to the Council a path along the backs of our houses that would put us at risk. That came as a complete surprise and it has damaged the good faith between us and the racecourse. For generations, since 1916, we and the racecourse have been good neighbours, but this wasn’t a neighbourly move by the racecourse, done in a way that we only find out now”.
One woman stated that she is very concerned for her very young granddaughter, who usually plays out the back of her house when she visits. “Could she be playing away and be spoken to by a total stranger? I am sick with worry and I just won’t be able to let her play outdoors if this goes ahead”. Currently, residents have a long-established 10 foot high fence of corrugated steel that protects their privacy and security.
Under the “Part 8” planning process, people have until the 12th of July to make submissions to the Council about the plans. Residents have expressed concern that their fears will be dismissed by Council officials. Ultimately, it is the elected councillors who will vote on whether the walkway goes behind the 29 homes. Residents are proposing to lobby councillors and to invite them to a public meeting, so they can state whether they endorse the residents’ concerns, or not.
A meeting of residents is planned, with Councillors being invited to attend a subsequent meeting to hear about residents’ fears.
