Demolition underway at St Martin's Park in Trim

Traveller families from St Martin's Park in Trim have moved to the nearby temporary halting site so that major refurbishment works can be carried out on the site. The families moved to the new temporary site on the ring road on Monday and Tuesday of last week. The existing site at St Martin's Park was taken over by the contractor on Tuesday evening of last week and demolition work is underway. This will be followed by site clearance of all demolished materials before construction of 14 new houses and a manager's office and resource building begins. The halt site at St Martin's Park is to undergo a major refurbishment which will see the existing bays and day units replaced with traditional housing units, following consultation with the local residents. It was agreed that while the refurbishment work is underway, the Traveller families will be accommodated at the temporary halt site which will be reinstated as grassland after the development is completed. The plans for the three-acre site will see the 16 bays at St Martin's Park demolished and replaced with 14 traditional three- and four-bedroom houses with back gardens, located around a green open space. There will also be a resource centre, incorporating a manager's office. It is expected the work will take one year to complete. The total cost for the contract, which includes the temporary halt site, is €2.1m and the project is being funded by the Department of Environment's Traveller Accommodation Unit. The contract was awarded to Galway-based Atlantic Developments Ltd, following a public procurement process. The company has completed similar projects in Galway, Clare and Sligo. The plans have been developed in consultation with the residents of St Martin's Park over the past two years and residents of the nearby estate Maudlin Vale have also met with council officials to address their concerns. Because of health and safety considerations, it was decided to accommodate residents on the temporary site rather than proceed with works while they were still on-site at St Martin's Park. St Martin's Park is one of three halt sites in Meath. St Patrick's Park in Navan already has been upgraded and has won a design award. Plans are currently being worked on to upgrade St Francis Park, Windtown, and it is hoped this will proceed next year, subject to funding.