Erosion of coastline and garda numbers among the concerns in East Meath

Electorate: 28,987

Seats: 7

Sitting Councillors:

Paddy Meade (FG); Sharon Tolan (FG); Stephen McKee (FF); Tom Behan (FF); Wayne Harding (FF); Elaine McGinty (Labour); and Independent Geraldine Keogan. (All running again)

Candidates: Maria White (SF), Declan O'Neill (FG) Carol Lennon (Ind) Seamus Lynch (SF) Marjeta Qevani (Ind) Patrick Smith (Ind) Raymond Westlake (Independent Ireland) Cathal Mac Réamoinn (Green Party) and Peter Whelan (Aontu)

Bettystown/Laytown is one of the most hotly contested electoral area with sixteen candidates chasing just seven seats.

Traffic management, commuting, flooding, coastal erosion, community facilities and Garda resources are some of the biggest issues affecting voters in the area that stretches from Mornington and Bettystown through to Julianstown, Duleek and Slane.

Once nothing more than a busy little seaside resort the villages of Bettystown, Laytown and Mornington have changed dramatically over the past couple of decades. It's now the third biggest town in Meath with its population doubling since 2002 now standing at 15,642 according to the 2022 census.

Concerns on the doorsteps have been the lack of infrastructure to support the rapid expansion of housing in the area and the absence of amenities for people both living in and visiting what was once one of the country's most popular holiday resorts. The affects of Climate change has also been dominating concerns for residents.

Disaster struck the East Meath area when torrential rain coupled with high tides saw over 30 homes in the seaside town destroyed by flooding in August 2023.As a result there have been calls for a Climate Action Risk Committee for the area in response to the escalating threats posed by flooding and coastal erosion along the coastline.

On a more positive note, the long awaited Bettystown Library is on the way to being delivered. Although the design of the building has caused divide, the 700 sq m library located in a landmark building over looking the sea will offer an array of resources for the area.

Bettystown Beach was just last week awarded Blue Flag Status thanks to the work of the local tidy towns group.

All seven sitting councillors are seeking re-election including Fine Gael councillor Sharon Tolan who is hoping to secure a third term in Bettystown where she resides. Tolan has been an advocate of the beach management plan, that despite some of its controversial outcomes including the ban on dogs off leads on some sections of the beach and the removal of cars has contributed to revamping the seaside town. However, not everyone is happy as some businesses claim trade has been down since the implementation of the car ban with few suitable alternatives available for motorists hoping to park up for a day at the beach.

Tolan has been vocal about her ambitions to secure a second seat for Fine Gael in the new four seat East Meath constituency in the next general election.

Fine Gael's Paddy Meade has completed his second term as councillor, Meade who comes from a farming background in Lobinstown has been a keen campaigner for an adequate broadband service for Lobinstown and funding for the upgrade of rural roads.

Laytown man and Tom Behan has completed his first term as a councillor with the publican hoping for re-election to improve services in the area. Behan is one of three sitting Fianna Fail councillors bidding for re-election along side Slane man, Wayne Harding who has been a long time campaigner for the Slane Bypass and advocate of the Boyne Greenway. Teacher Stephen McKee is also hoping to retain his seat having served as a local representative since 2014. McKee has been vocal regarding the need for a secondary school in Duleek and a ban on HGVs in the village.

Independent Cllr Geraldine Keogan is vying for a second term after she was co-opted onto the council following her sister Sharon Keogan stepping down from role as Laytown/Bettystown Cllr in 2020 when she was elected to the Seanad.

In 2019 Keogan ran in both the Laytown/Bettystown and Ashbourne electoral areas, winning a seat in both. Keogan nominated Amanda Smith to take the seat she won in Ashbourne.

Cllrs Smith and Cllr Geraldine Keogan are now seeking re-election with another colleague of theirs, Carol Lennon also running in the Laytown Bettystown area.

Slane businessman Peter Whelan is on the ticket once again for Peadar Tobin's Aontu party. The free-range pig farm owner missed out on a seat in 2019 but has continued to work in the community since.

Labour Cllr Elaine McGinty is seeking re-election in the Laytown/Bettystown area. McGinty was co opted onto Meath County Council in 2020, to replace her party colleague, Cllr Annie Hoey, who was elected to Seanad Eireann. McGinty has used her platform to highlight the need for a bypass at Julianstown and the upgrade/ traffic calming measures on the busy Beamore road area.

New faces running include Bettystown national school principal, Maria White who is hoping to win a seat for Sinn Fein, the party currently has no sitting councillors in the municipal district.

Joining her as first time runner is Fine Gael's Declan O'Neill from Rosnaree near Slane. O'Neill is currently chairperson of Drogheda Homeless Aid having volunteered for the charity for 20 years.

Flooding issues in the area need to be addressed with urgency according to Bettystown Tidy Towns who have been on hand in recent times to offer support to residents whose homes have been damaged by the ever increasing weather events.

“I don't know how many times last year we had to help empty houses of furniture in housing estates that were damaged by flooding,” said a spokesperson for Bettystown Tidy Towns.

“It is devastating,” they added.

“We need a plan.”

It was announced last year that a new Garda station for Laytown had been included in the Garda Capital Investment Programme 2023-2030.

No time frame has been given on its delivery but it needs to happen sooner rather than later according to the volunteer.

“If you look at the population of our area, it has increased by 20 percent in the last couple of years.

“Our area is more populated than Ashbourne, yet Ashbourne has a Garda station, we don't.”

“Come the summer, our population will nearly double because everyone is coming to the beach, this year it will be worse because they are coming to a Blue Flag Beach.

“We are going to have a tourist site that is going to potentially attract thousands of people someone has to be in control. We need a Garda presence.”

A lack of amenities for young people in the area is also a pressing issue.

“We have been pushing local land owners to give us a piece of land where we could put in a multi use games area,” said the spokesperson.

“It would be like a slightly smaller version of an weather pitch that could be used for basketball and football.”

Solutions for parking need to be introduced according to the community activist who says there has been a significant decrease in visitors to the seaside town following the ban on cars on the beach.

“When they took the cars off the beach, the council said they would look at a parking solution are we are all still waiting,” they said.

“We engage with businesses literally every day of the week, they are just saying the numbers are down.”

“There is a new car park, halfway between Laytown and Bettystown open to the public, it just needs to be sign posted a little better.

“Tidy Towns put in a paved surface from the road onto the beach adjacent to those car parks. traffic lights were put in as well.

“The issue with that is that there is a bit of a walk to in either direction to Laytown or Bettystown and people with buggies and bags are reluctant.”

Over the other end of the district Michele Cullen Power of Bypass Slane Campaign says the main concern of the community is the provision of the bypass.

“There are a lot of good things about living in Slane and a lot of projects on the horizon such as the Greenway but realistically Slane is never going to develop in the way it can develop as a tourist destination or even a fantastic place to live until the Slane Bypass is delivered,” said Michele.

“There is a public realm plan too and we have been told unless the Slane Bypass gets the go ahead that plan won't be delivered.

“That would be a disaster for the village because tied up in that same public realm plan is the provision of car parking because there is a real lack of parking.”