Redesigned car park at Headfort place completed

The long-awaited Headfort Place (St Colmcille's Church) Car Park in Kells opened to the public recently, providing 25 short-term parking spaces for the town. The new facility allows for two-hour parking at 90c per hour and includes two additional disabled parking bays. While most of the work is finished, the installation of two tone public lighting has yet to be completed. The work included the redesign of the existing car parking area, resurfacing with tarmacadam, granite sets, granite flags, limestone pavers and the erection of limestone bollards. The existing Headfort monument, which is a protected structure, has been relocated to a new position in front of town hall civic offices building. The work involved landscaping works, including tree-planting and the provision of street furniture such as seating and litter bins. Kells Town Council and the Catholic Church entered into a licence agreement for the the development and the parking regulations for the area, which is now subject to short-term parking. The cathaoirleach of Kells Town Council, Cllr Conor Ferguson, said the car park was a major addition to the town, creating a very attractive entrance. "It is part of a scheme to enhance the town. We will be moving up now to improve the footpaths up towards the credit union," he said. "It is a lovely entrance to the town, brightens the place up and looks well across from the town hall," he added. Cllr Ferguson said that everybody he had spoken to had been delighted with the development with the only criticism being about the delay. He explained that water and sewerage works would be carried out along the road and work on the footpaths further on towards the credit union would begin when that was complete. Cllr Tommy Grimes said the new car park had turned out extremely well and he complimented the architect, Jack Fitzsimons, on his excellent work. "It is a lovely job and I am sure the people of Kells will look after it," he said. Cllr Brian Curran welcomed the completion of the work and recalled that, as a member of the Tidy Towns Committee, he had been involved from the beginning. He complimented the Church authorities and the architects for working together, describing the finished development as artistic. "It shows the investment that Kells Town Council are making to promote Kells as a tourist location," he said. Cllr Curran added the new car park provided a much a safer access and exit both to the car park and the church. Cllr Bryan Reilly said the whole objective had been to improve the main entrance to the town. "It looks very well. The aesthetics are good and there is nice seating where people can relax. The parish have done a lovely job inside, to complement the works we carried out outside," he said.