Tag: youth

The below items were raised for discussion at the 01/05/26 meeting of the Municipal District.

Question – Councillor William Durkan
Can the council provide a costing for the provision of streetlights at Clonkeen Cross on the R402 to include the junction, footpath and bus stop areas?
Report: The request for the provision of public lighting at Clonkeen Cross on the R402, including the junction, footpath and bus stop areas, has been assessed in accordance with the council’s Public Lighting Policy. Clonkeen Cross is classified as a Category B location, being a rural area of low district brightness that is currently unlit. Under this category, public lighting is not provided as a standalone measure and is only considered where it forms part of a broader engineering scheme to address identified road safety issues.

Update: Discussion noted the need for a specific costing to consider these works under a different funding programme, and will be provided for consideration.

Motion – Councillor William Durkan
That the council invites Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) to provide an annual briefing to members within the municipal district on progress to date regarding the ongoing River Basin Management Plan works in this municipal district.
Report: This is a matter for members to agree.

Update: This was agreed by members in the MD

Motion – Councillor William Durkan
That the council identifies any publicly owned or underutilised premises within the municipal district that may be repurposed to provide safe, accessible youth-friendly spaces, in line with the recommendations of the recent Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) report ‘Nowhere to go…. Plenty to say’.
Report: The Community Department received the referenced report on April 20th and is reviewing the report.

The KWETB report is available here:
kwetb.ie/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/KWETB-Report_WEB.pdf

The KWETB report contains a recommendation: “Liaise with local authorities and statutory and voluntary agencies to identify publicly owned or underutilised premises that could be repurposed to provide safe, accessible youth-friendly spaces.”
The needs of young people are varied and multi-faceted and require a collaborative inter-agency/multi-agency response that includes stakeholders such as parents, community members, service providers (statutory and community and voluntary), local representatives and others – local and national.

Reflecting this, Kildare Children and Young Peoples Services Committee (CYPSC) is the local structure that brings the key stakeholders together to agree shared priorities and actions to improve outcomes for children and young people in Co. Kildare.
The Council contributes to the development and implementation of the CYPSC 3-Year Plan, along with other member organisations, which include KWETB, Tusla and In Sync Youth and Family Services, HSE, An Garda Síochána, among others.
Kildare CYPSC is in the process of developing the next 3-Year Plan (2027-2029), which will involve cross-sectoral consultation. There will be an opportunity for Kildare County Council staff and elected representatives to highlight concerns, gaps, needs as part of this process.

The motion calls for a survey, by the Council, of “any publicly owned or underutilised premises within the District”. It should be noted that mapping of existing services and related gaps forms part of each 3-Year Plan, and recommendations from local research, such as the recent KWETB report will inform the Plan. Kildare County Council welcomes the opportunity to explore through the CYPSC structure, along with inter-agency partners, how to progress the recommendations from the KWETB report. It is also noted, as flagged in the recently adopted Sports Plan, that schools were identified as under-utilised community facilities and it is suggested that in the consideration of suitable facilities for youth services across Kildare, as part of the CYPSC Plan that this should form part of consideration regarding suitable spaces. This clearly offers efficiencies and economies of scale in terms of public expenditure.
The Council, via the Community Department currently own 7 properties in this District that are managed by a range of caretaker groups but can be booked by other groups and agencies for programme delivery, including for youth related services, subject to availability. Indeed, some of the groups referenced in KWETB report are already using some of these facilities.

These properties are listed here: kildarecoco.ie/AllServices/Community/communitycentres/

Question – Councillor William Durkan
Can the council provide an overview of all renewable energy infrastructure with an active (including under appeal) or granted planning application within the municipal district, to include solar and wind turbine infrastructure?