Councillor’s call for ‘think tank’ on car beach ban

Accessibility to the beach has been “decimated” due to limited parking options in Bettystown village and a “think tank” needs to be introduced to come up with solutions to the problem.

The issue was raised by Sinn Fein Cllr Maria White at a recent Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District meeting.

A permanent ban on parking on Bettystown Beach came into play in 2021 after Meath beaches were closed to vehicles during the pandemic.

“I believe we need a think tank in relation to parking in Bettystown, it is the bane of everybody's life, it is a very divisive issue in the community,” said White.

“I know the council has done their best with the information they have to provide parking at the schools that they believe to be close to the beach but is not close to the beach if you are elderly, if you have mobility issues or if you have young children,” she added.

People want to be near to the amenities in Bettystown and currently there is no way to do that according to the Sinn Fein Cllr who said:

“I believe that it has impacted on tourism in our area. We have a Blue Flag beach that we should be able to celebrate and shout from the roof tops about but where will people park when they come to our beautiful Blue Flag beach?

“There are businesses in the village and residents particularly in the Anchorage who are constantly having people park in their spaces because there are no other places to go and it is causing them a lot of frustration.”

A plan of action needs to be put in place to address the problem Cllr White told the meeting.

“Parking in Bettystown is a huge issue and is keeps getting swept under the carpet. When our civic building opens in Bettystown it is going to exacerbate the problem.”