Steer clear of trail until work is done

Kerry TD Brendan Griffin, when he was Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, announced €500,000 in funding for the development of Tomies Wood car park. He is pictured here at the site with Paudraig O’Sullivan, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Niamh O’Shea, Kerry branch of the Irish Hotels Federation, and Paul O’Neill, Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce.
Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan

THE new access road to scenic Tomies Wood outside Killarney is on schedule to open in early December with construction work on the exciting and long-awaited project currently nearing completion.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said the ongoing works will be in place for another three weeks approximately, depending on the weather and water levels.

In the meantime, people have been asked not to use the roadway or internal trails in Tomies Wood due to health and safety considerations.

“We would ask all members of the public to refrain from visiting the site until further notice, to adhere to all on-site signage and to refrain from entering what will be a construction site for the duration of the works,” the department said in a statement issued to KillarneyToday.com.

Cllr Niall Kelleher: Contacted by worried residents

“Regrettably, in recent weeks some visitors have ignored the site safety signage and this has led to delays in the project and caused a nuisance to adjoining property owners through inconsiderate parking on the adjacent public roadway,” the statement added.

Killarney councillor, Niall Kelleher, said he has been contacted by concerned residents in the area who are upset that people are already visiting the new facilihy and causing major congestion by parking at the side of the public road leading to Tomies Wood.

They fear that an ambulance or a fire engine would not be able to negotiate a way past the parked vehicles and that lives could be put in danger.

“I would ask people to show a little patience and not to go there until the construction work is finished in a few weeks and proper parking facilities will be available,” Cllr Kelleher said.

“Cars are being left there while people are walking or running and the space is very tight. People must remember that until it is declared open, it remains a construction site,” he added.

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