Councillors ask for a working group to, finally, sort safer access to a lonely bit of Swords

The skies were soggy above Swords.

The narrow pathway through the valley and woods beside the Ward River was muddy as it ran from the edge of the bulk of Swords Manor through to Knocksedan, a neighbourhood to the west, off by itself.

The path is the only pedestrian link from Swords to Knocksedan – aside from walking on roads with cars whizzing by – and takes about 20 minutes on foot. 

On Friday afternoon, the stretch beside the river was wear-boots muddy. Only able-bodied people on the trail muddy.

That’s how the trail often is, said Pauline Lougheed, a local resident, on Monday. 

It’s changed in the last few years: some trees taken out to allow light in, and the dirt route itself moved. 

They got a boardwalk too: on a short stretch on the low lying path of the path. Then, in November, it was removed, she says.

She’s not happy about it, and neither are neighbours she’s talked to, says Lougheed. Local councillors are getting complaints, they say.

In general, she said, it’s just not the pedestrian access she was promised when she moved in 22 years ago.

At the Balbriggan/Rush-Lusk/Swords Area Committee meeting on 12 February, Fianna Fáil Councillor Darragh Butler put forward a motion asking for a working group to work out finally a way to sort out safer access to Knocksedan.

What he was asking for, he said at the meeting, wasn’t just the better route through the park and woodlands, but safe footpaths and cycle paths along the R108 and L2030 – the big main roads that go up and around from Knocksedan to Swords Manor.

“That’s the big one. And I really think we do need it, to tackle that,” he said.

Kevin Halpenny, the council’s senior parks and landscape officer, said that his colleagues were working with those in planning and active travel on using the park and lands as well as possible to improve access between Knocksedan and Swords. 

“That will be evident in the park development plan which we are bringing forward this year,” he said, referring to the upcoming Ward River Regional Park Development Plan.

He asked for patience as they prepare to bring those plans forward.

The original sin really was the move by past councillors to rezone this disconnected raft of land at Knocksedan for housing in the first place when the infrastructure and access wasn’t there, said independent Councillor Joe Newman. 

It was developer-led planning and zoning, he said.

Where did the boardwalk go?

Lougheed is an “original”, she says. 

She bought her house in Knocksedan more than two decades ago, and on the basis that the infrastructure gaps would be fixed, she says.

The boardwalk was a temporary fix, but it was progress, she says. 

It’s unclear who exactly removed it and why. But she, and other residents, really want answers, she says. 

In December, councillors on the same committee had also raised the issue of the missing boardwalk. 

At that time, Halpenny said that the council had been working on restoring path networks in part of the Ward River Valley Park around Usher’s Lake. 

Part of that was on private lands, and the works had been progressed by agreement with the landowner, he said. 

That included putting in a boardwalk, he said, but then, somebody unknown took out the boardwalk – making the path less accessible. 

The council had written to the landowner to seek a meeting, said Halpenny.

On 12 February, in response to a query from Fine Gael Councillor Luke Corkery, Halpenny said that discussions were ongoing in relation to restoring the access. 

Corkery said later that there hasn’t been much information in council written responses so far. 

It’s unclear who removed the boardwalk, and if and when it might be replaced, he said. “I've sort of gotten the same copy and paste answers.”

Close, but far

Resident Kyle Nishimura-Whelan said he just wants progress. He moved to Knocksedan nine years ago with his husband, from River Valley. 

They wanted more space as prospective parents, he said, and the lush nature was appealing too.

Nishimura-Whelan said they knew Knocksedan lacked infrastructure when they moved there – no creche, there was no regular bus service at the time. 

A new bus loop had been built already for a bus to pull into the area, but for a while, they didn’t get any buses.

“It then took a further five years afterwards, after that, before we even got a 41x. We have two in the morning, two in the evening,” he said. 

So, he has seen improvements, he said, but not enough.

His time is more precious now that he is a dad, he said, so instead of driving to somewhere he can catch the bus, he drives his full commute.

He’s been talking about it more with his neighbours, and so are others, he said

“It's kind of one of these sacrifices you take living a little bit further out. But it’s a double edged sword,” he said. “Because they keep calling you part of the metropolis of Swords – without the connectivity.”

 “So you're paying all these taxes for all the luxuries of what Swords has to offer. But you can't actually access or benefit from it, right?” he said.

Lougheed said as a constituent she’s very frustrated. Look, it’s a gorgeous trail, Lougheed said, but it’s not lit. 

“The reason I use it and feel relatively safe is I have two very large dogs that I take everywhere with me,” said Lougheed.

And it’s not accessible, for people in wheelchairs, or with prams, or other mobility impairments.

“I'd imagine as a councilor, when you know your job is to, you know, represent the local people, it must be frustrating and embarrassing,” she said.

“To once again, go back and say, ‘Do you know what, I know you've asked, I've asked. There's no answer.’”

At the 12 February meeting, councillors voted to agree Butler’s motion to set up a working group, looking at – among other things – whether cycle and pedestrian access can be put in along the main roads.

Sinn Féin Councillor John Smyth said he was supporting it – but reluctantly. “Because it shouldn’t be necessary.” 

He is told that it isn’t possible to put paths by the main roads, he said – but then also, told it is possible if they acquire land and lose some trees. 

Nobody has any doubts that what is being drawn up for the park in the Ward River Regional Park Development Plan is great, he said. 

But it doesn’t meet the needs of residents, he said, which is access day and night, for walking and cycling.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.