Park and ride system planned to solve Enfield problems

Plans for a park and ride facility to accommodate 107 cars at the rear of the former ESB building in Enfield have been outlined by Meath County Council with a planning application expected to be lodged in the coming weeks.

A presentation was given to Trim Municipal District councillors at their May meeting on the car park proposal which also includes 10 electric car charging points, an area for recycling banks and an access to the playground.

Councillors gave the go ahead for the development to go on public display and members of public will have a chance to make submissions on the proposal as part of the part eight planning process.

Parking has been an ongoing issue in Enfield for many years for residents and businesses with commuters parking all day in estates and on the street.

While three-hour parking was brought in more than a decade ago, there has been difficulties in policing it and all-day parking continues to be a problem.

Commuter parking spaces are available at Enfield Railway Station but many commuters choose not to park there because there is a charge and it is also at the other end of the town to the bus stop. Meath County Council purchased the former ESB building from the OPW and works are under way to develop a community and enterprise hub in the building. The car park at the rear, where the council plans to put in the park and ride facility, is currently home to Enfield Community College which is in temporary accommodation until its permanent building is completed. It is understood LMETB has a three-year lease on the site.

While additional car parking is welcome for the town, there have been concerns expressed about the entrance to the park and ride which is on a busy stretch adjacent to Supervalu.

Cllr Noel French said while the location is "not ideal", parking has been an issue in Enfield for 20 years and they needed to move forward with it.

"Parking has been a colossal problem as Enfield has developed over the last 20 years with almost constant complaints about parking. It is not fair on the residents of the housing estates to have cars parked there all day and it is not fair on the businesses. I got one complaint that a car was parked outside a business not just all day, but all week."

He said paid parking is difficult to police when there isn't a ticket machine and one option that could be looked at is to introduce a ticket machine and that something has to be done.

Cllr French added that it seemed "ridiculous" that "one public body is spending money on a park and ride system when another public body already has a very under utilised parking facility at the train station".

He said councillors and the council itself had written again and again to ask Iarnrod Eireann but it will not allow free parking at the car park.

"Once the park and ride goes in, it will have to be carefully examined as to how it works. It is in a busy place. We need to see what dangers are caused by it.”

He is encouraging everybody to have their say when the plans go on public display.