A candlelit protest will take place in Deansgrange Cemetery at 7pm on Friday evening to oppose proposed plans to run a cycle route through the graveyard.
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council submitted the proposal to create enhanced cycling infrastructure through the Deansgrange Cycle Route as part of the area's Active School Travel programme. Opposition to the plan has mounted in recent weeks with over 3,000 people signing a petition to stop the proposal.
The proposed plans would see a new entrance to the cemetery created and the partial removal of a surrounding wall. Susan McGarvey, 45, created the petition last month and said the plan would "leave the graveyard completely open and not private". Ms McGarvey's son Callum died aged 12 in 2017 and is buried in the cemetery.
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She told Dublin Live: "I go down there and visit my son's grave regularly and it's quiet and peaceful. That would be completely taken away from us if they go ahead with these plans.
"The big beautiful wall makes it very private and they're talking about putting that down, so the cars would be driving past and looking in. I'm all for cycle lanes, but I don't think it is right to put one in a cemetery where people are trying to have quiet time and reflect."
A public consultation process is currently underway and the Council is receiving submissions until October 27 on their website.
A spokeswoman for Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council said in response: "dlr are not proposing a dedicated cycle path in the Cemetery. We are proposing better access to the existing area where driving, cycling and walking is a well-established use. This option was suggested after almost 2 years of public engagement where we assessed 8 different options. The purpose of this scheme is to provide access to over 65 schools in the County and providing a safe route along Deansgrange Road is a critical element.
"The existing links in the Cemetery provide access through from Deansgrange Road to the Schools at Hollypark and the green space / Granada football facilities. What is proposed is to make the cemetery more permeable by providing a new entrance and allowing users the choice of using the cemetery vs the road way. This new entrance has been included in the Deansgrange Local Area Plan since 2010. This plan went through a public consultation at that time and was adopted by the elected members.
"It is not proposed to restrict access to any areas or to designate any areas cycle only. We have commenced a consultation process (available here) and it will be open for submissions until October 20. The route and the scheme details are only proposed at this stage. We have also established a number of focus groups where users have had an opportunity to provide their feedback.
"The proposal to lower the wall was included to improve the passive surveillance within the cemetery and improve the safety of users. The existing wall and railing is approximately 2.3m high and it is proposed to lower the blockwork of the wall and increase the railing height to allow additional passive surveillance."
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