Call for urgent action on lack of parking facilities in Killarney

A lack of parking facilities will force visitors away from a top tourist town, it has been warned.

As the 2015 tourism season moves into gear, concerns are being raised in Killarney, Co Kerry, amid calls for the development of a multi-storey carpark.

Such a facility has been mooted a number of times in the past and the possibility of providing multi-storey parking, as part of a public/private partnership (PPS), is to be re-examined.

The issue was raised by Fianna Fáil councillor Niall Kelleher at a meeting of Killarney Municipal Authority.

“We are only a few weeks away from the busy tourist season. What has this authority done to ensure we don’t have cars parked illegally and what plans are in place for developing a car park?” he asked.

He said cars would be illegally parked again because not enough spaces were available. “We’ve a big issue here and we need to do something about it,” he warned.

Mr Kelleher said the situation could become even worse in 2016 when Killarney House would be opened as a major attraction.

He was supported by Independent Alliance councillor Michael Gleeson, who said tourists would become disillusioned and would travel elsewhere if sufficient parking was not provided.

“People have enough difficulty with access to Kerry through Macroom and Adare: We should ensure our visitors are accommodated when they come here,” he said.

Mr Gleeson said a multi-storey carpark could be built aesthetically and in a good location, under a PPS arrangement. He asked officials to re-examine such a proposal.

Officials told the meeting any illegal parking was dealt with by the gardaí and traffic wardens. They also said an objective assessment of the need for year-round parking would be made. At present, there are 1,578 parking spaces in the town, including 433 on streets.

Last July and August, facilities in Killarney were stretched to capacity and the authority is looking for additional land for parking.

Meanwhile, Kerry County Council has said there have been no cutbacks in street cleaning services in Killarney since the abolition of the local town council, last June.

Independent councillor Donal Grady — who also highlighted illegal dumping around Killarney — said it was important to keep the town clean at all times.

Director of services Charlie O’Sullivan said there had been no reduction in street cleaning. A large group of volunteers, meanwhile, continues to regularly pick up litter in Killarney and surrounds.

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