Sound barrier to ease traffic noise at Navan estate would be ‘ineffective’

Providing a sound barrier along the Dean Cogan estate in Navan in order to reduce noise levels would be unlikely to be effective, councillors were told at a meeting of Navan Municipal District Council.

Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons had raised the issue of the extremely heavy traffic passing by the houses each day.

“Taking into account the ever-increasing volumes of traffic on the Kells Road, can we look at placing a sound barrier along Dean Cogan Estate to reduce the high levels of noise effecting the residents from very early morning to late evenings,” he asked.

Cllr Fitzsimons was told that such sound barriers were very large and robust structures, mostly seen along motorways to deflect the traffic noise away from rural houses.

“The openings required for the main entrance and the pedestrian entrance at this proposed location at Dean Cogan would null the effect of any such barrier,” he was told in a report to the Council.

“The views would also be obstructed and the cost would be quite high for a structural barrier of this type.”

Cllr Fitzsimons was told that the planned LDR4 - R147 Kells Road to Ratholdren Road project would relieve a lot of the traffic on this section of the N51.

Meanwhile funding has been approved for footpath repairs in the Silverlawn estate in Navan and will now go to tender.

The news was welcomed by Cllr Eddie Fennessy who recalled that during the September meeting he tabled a motion calling on the Council to address a number of safety issues on the estate. ”One such issue was the repair of dangerous footpaths. “

“The footpath repair programme is very important, particularly on older estates with an aging population. Residents on the Silverlawn estate will be delighted with this announcement,” he said.

At the September meeting, Cllr Fennessy said footpaths on the estate were in a really poor condition making it difficult for older and infirm residents to traverse them safely.”