Cllr. Mary White Deputy leader of the Green Party has asked the Co Manager to provide €50,000 for the refurbishment and maintenance of the Nine Stones Area near Mt. Leinster .

Cllr. White said,

” I have asked the Co. Manager at our recent Budget Meeting to provide €50,000 for the Nine Stones area to combat ongoing vandalism, install new Way Marked Trail signs, picnic tables and for the provision of Litter Bins. The entire area will also have to be resurfaced and more frequent monitoring of the area must take pace to prevent dumping and littering.”

Cllr. White added,

“In the estimates for 2006 there is provision for Parks and Open Spaces and I have asked the Manger to come up with the €50,000 for this most spectacular and well known beauty spot in Carlow. The Council and Carlow Tourism have already spent millions of euros on promotional brochures and brown finger sings for the County - highlighting this particular area for tourist visits but currently due to anti social behaviour and ongoing vandalism, the Nine Stones Area is looking downtrodden and rejected.

Cllr. White added,

” I want to restore pride to the area and encourage people to come to Mt. Leinster and enjoy the superb views, This area of South Carlow is probably one of the most spectacular viewing points in the County and with a small injection of cash, increased Garda activity and stricter environmental monitoring it can be restored to it’s former glory. But it will need this cash injection from the Council to give the area a complete make over. As a Candidate Special Area of Conservation, all Carlovians have a pride and affection for this well-known beauty spot. Carlow has no lakes and no foreshore but we do have the Blackstairs Mountains and the Nine Stones Area which is internationally renowned. The people of Carlow do not want a further costly Consultant’s report, they want action to prevent the Area from being littered, vandalised and used as a playground for Hot Rod car racing and noisy polluting anti social behaviour.”

ENDS

FURTHER INFORMATION

CLLR. MARY WHITE

DEPUTY LEADER GREEN PARTY

087 270 71 89

Filed under: Mary White TD