Leonard demands start date for crossing at Kinnegad Plaza

“How, in 2022, can we not get one of the richest companies in Ireland to agree to install something that should have been there when they first opened in May 2019?” demanded Cllr Denis Leonard at the February meeting of Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District.

He was referring to a pedestrian crossing and footpath at the Kinnegad Plaza and demanded to know when work would start and what was the scope of works agreed with the owner.

When told that the council had received confirmation that a contractor had been appointed by the developer and that the members would be notified when a commencement date was agreed, Cllr Leonard said he was “not happy”. He wanted a start date.

He said he first raised this in June 2019 and he had raised it six times in total “and still no answers for a commencement date for a very necessary structure”.

“Anyone who drives by the Kinnegad Plaza knows the issue, I’m not going to go into it again,” he said.

Dr Paul McCool, senior executive, said the owners want to meet the council on site and the matter is progressing well, while the acting district manager, Deirdre Reilly, remarked that the council was at the mercy of the private company, but was a lot further on than they were this time last year in that they know the company is going to put the structure in and at their own expense.