Cllr Ronan Moore has welcomed Meath County Council’s inclusion of a new objective for Enfield to support the delivery of a comprehensive cycling and pedestrian strategy for the town.
Cllr Moore said:
‘Following my submission to the Draft Development Plan, I really happy that the chief executive and senior planners have included this objective for Enfield.
“Enfield is about to undergo another period of unprecedented growth, with up to 500 new dwellings and a population rise of some 31%, something I was at pains to note was excessive given its current level of social infrastructure. I made the point, though, that in light of this growth – which also includes plans for a new secondary school, a nursing home and significant lands zoned industrial and enterprise to the east of the town – now is the time to have concrete designs prepared for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.
‘It is much more expensive to try and retrofit transport solutions once development has taken place and a general objective to improve footpaths and cycle-paths is not enough. What we need are cycling and pedestrian projects that are already designed and shovel-ready, and which can take advantage of what I believe will be a continued increase in centralised government funding in public transport.
“Enfield is an uncut cycling jewel in the crown of Meath. It is situated along the Royal Canal Greenway and is a part of the ‘Eurovelo Capital Routes’ that extends from Moscow in the east to Galway in the west. Located along such a prestigious cycling route, it makes sense, not just from an environmental, transport and business perspective, but also from a tourism and reputational point of view, that Enfield aspires to be a national leader in high-quality cycling networks and pedestrian initiatives. This is what a comprehensive cycling and pedestrian strategy will help achieve.”
Cllr Moore concluded:
‘Now that we have this objective included in the Draft Development Plan, the next step is to build local consensus around what we would like to see in our town and then to encourage the council to commit resources to develop this strategy so that we can turn ideas into a reality.”
February 8, 2021