Mayor criticises plans to 'bulldoze' amenity

The mayor of Sligo has criticised plans to "bulldoze" a €600,000 playground to make way for a new road in the town.

The mayor of Sligo has criticised plans to "bulldoze" a €600,000 playground to make way for a new road in the town.

"It beggars belief that bulldozers are to be run over a state-of-the-art park provided only two years ago at a cost of €600,000," said Cllr Rosaleen O'Grady.

She said the funds spent on the Mitchell Curley Playground could have been allocated to a number of worthwhile projects in other parts of the town.

Members of Sligo Borough Council unanimously supported the mayor's demand that officials provide them with information before they are asked to amend the local development plan, which will allow the western distributor road to be built on a route which passes through the new playground.

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The mayor said she had asked officials to provide councillors with information about alternatives routes, which had been investigated before any decision was made on the project.

Councillors also want an environmental impact statement to be prepared, but officials have said this is not legally required.

The mayor said that, while the proposed route had been on the table for a number of years, it had been assumed that once €600,000 was spent on a playground facility, other routes were being looked at.

The road is to link the new €74 million Sligo inner relief road, which was opened by Minister for Transport Martin Cullen last week, with the Strandhill road to the west of the town.

Marese McDonagh

Marese McDonagh

Marese McDonagh, a contributor to The Irish Times, reports from the northwest of Ireland