2 days ago
Castletown House group agree to trial for OPW vehicles
A group that had been objecting to vehicles entering Castletown House in Kildare via a traditional pedestrian entrance on Lime Avenue have agreed to two weeks trial of service vehicles entering the site this way.
The 'Save Castletown Gate Protector' group has agreed to a maximum of two to three vehicles entering the site before 11am on weekdays only.
They said the agreement was reached after a positive meeting with Minister of State for the OPW Kevin Boxer Moran who they said also agreed to restoring dawn to dusk opening hours on Friday 4 July.
They said while there are still a number of issues to explore and resolve they see the move as a "positive first step".
A dispute about access has meant that Castletown House has been largely closed to the public for 19 months and service vehicles have not been able to access the site since Christmas.
Over the May bank holiday weekend, damage was caused to vehicles and facilities used by the Office of Public Works to access the site.
Three people were arrested yesterday in connection with a number of criminal damage incidents at Castletown House.
The estimated cost of the damage was in the region of €400,000.
The three – a man in his 30s and two juveniles – were arrested following a search operation at a number of properties in the county.
The man was charged in connection with the incidents and appeared at the Courts of Criminal Justice yesterday afternoon.
The two male juveniles were released from custody pending referral to the Juvenile Youth Diversion Programme. A file will be prepared for the DPP.
Gardaí said that investigations are ongoing.
