Hundreds of people gathered at Deansgrange Cemetery on Friday evening for a candlelight protest against plans to put a cycle route through the burial ground.
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, opening up access to commuters. Locals who have loved ones buried in the cemetery have slammed the plans as "appalling".
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Protesters marched with candles from the cemetery's entrance to inside the ground yesterday evening, before gathering for a song and a minute's silence. Susan McGarvey, whose son Callum is buried at the cemetery after dying aged 12, was one of the protest's organisers and said she was "emotional" after seeing the turnout.
She told Dublin Live: "I'm really happy with the turnout. The support we have gotten has been amazing and I honestly think that we are going to fight this and win.
"I'm pretty emotional about it. I'm just delighted with the turnout."
Aoife O'Connor, whose newborn baby daughter Emily was buried at Deansgrange Cemetery in 2010, has also been campaigning against the plans. She told Dublin Live: "I can't believe the amount of people that came out tonight in support.
"I think the Council and the Councillors will have to listen to what people are thinking. The numbers that came out tonight to protest against this proposal speaks for itself."
Green Party Councillor Tom Kivlehan was also in attendance during last night's protest. He told Dublin Live that the solution for the cycle route "is on the road and always has been".
"As a Green Councillor, have always proposed that we deal with it on the road because that is wear a proper cycle lane should be," he said. "There are too many obstacles in an area like this; interrupting people when they're at the graveside of a family member, when funerals are on.
"Cyclist safety has to be dealt with on the road so that cyclists going to school or into town have a safe route. A safe route is not in a cemetery at the detriment of people using the cemetery."
A public consultation about the plans which form part of the Deansgrange Cycle Route remains open until October 27.
A spokeswoman for Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council told Dublin Live earlier this week: "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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