Structural repairs to the footpath adjacent to Fermoy Town Park along the N72 cannot be made until funding is approved from the National Roads Authority (NRA).

Cllr Frank O’Flynn, at the July meeting of Fermoy Municipal Authority, requested information on when the footpath would be reopened in the interest of safety to pedestrians.

In response, Senior Engineer Brendan O’Gorman said: “We have sought substantial funding from the NRA via the NRA GeoApp funding mechanism to commence refurnishment of the footpath but as the issues involved here are structural, until the funding is approved, we cannot repair the surface of the path.”

Presently the footpath is closed off with hoardings, which Cllr O’Flynn described as 'an eyesore'. Expressing his disappointment with the response, he said: “We’re in the middle of the summer, we talk about the Blackwater Valley and about selling Fermoy, but this is a real eyesore in the town.

“Quite a lot of people use that spot there. There’s an entrance to the town park just past it and it’s dangerous to access it from the town. It’s an extremely busy road, it’s very disappointing it’s not being done. We’re supposed to be selling Fermoy the best we can and it’s a real eyesore.”

The motion received support from Cllr Kevin O’Keeffe and Cllr Noel McCarthy, the latter who commented: “The most important thing we do is keep it on the radar, if the money does come through we’ll do it as fast as possible.”

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