Permanent ban on cars on Bettystown Beach voted through by councillors

PAUL MURPHY

A permanent ban on parking on Bettystown Beach has been voted through at a Meath County Council meeting this afternoon.

The notice of motion submitted by Fine Gael councillor Sharon Tolan was voted through by 27 votes to three with two abstentions and 8 councillors absent.

The beaches in Meath have been closed to vehicles since March 2020 following huge crowds descending on the beaches during the Covid-19 lockdown.

There has been much debate over the last number of years on whether cars should be banned from Bettystown Beach with fears that the lack of parking could affect local businesses.

There were also concerns raised at a Laytown/Bettystown Council meeting earlier this year about a lack of parking for those with mobility issues.

Last summer the Environment Special Policy Committee of Meath County Council decided to retain the prohibition on cars on the beaches of Mornington, Bettystown, Laytown and Gormanston.

The council confirmed at the Environment SPC at the time that they had received a very large volume of emails from the public asking that the beach remain car free.

Two online petitions that were launched last year resulted in over 4500 members of the public supporting the ban on cars, while 383 people supported a return for drivers to the Meath beaches.

In a facebook post Cllr Sharon Tolan said: "It’s a new day, it’s a new dawn, and it’s been 588 days since vehicles were banned from our beaches in Meath. Today, Councillors voted overwhelmingly to make that ban permanent! Car Free Forever!

"Thank you all for your support in securing this for all visitors to our beaches!"