Council applies for planning to build pedestrian bridge in Kilkenny town

By COLIN BARTLEY

Kilkenny County Council has applied for planning permission to build a pedestrian bridge required to safely connect a major tourist site to a town.

The €900,000 Castlecomer Pedestrian Bridge connecting the town to the popular Discovery Park is with An Bord Pleanála for approval.

The bridge crossing the River Dinin is required to take thousands of tourists visiting the Discovery Park off the main N78 road, creating a safe route into Castlecomer.

The proposed development will comprise of a two-span footbridge over the river beside the existing Castlecomer Bridge, as this bridge is a protected structure.

Some alterations to existing stone walls at La Rive, in Castlecomer Square and the Gateway on the Athy Road, are required for the footpath approaches to the footbridge. The walls at La Rive and the Gateway are both listed as protected structures, but the planning application requests these are altered.

A copy of the plans will be available for inspection free of charge between Friday 9th August to Friday 4th October 2019 at the Planning Section of Kilkenny County Council Offices in Kilkenny and Castlecomer Library. The plans are also on the council’s website at https://consult.kilkenny.ie/