‘Patience has seriously run out’... Cllrs frustration over wait for presentation on plans for Johnstown community facilities

Frustrated Navan councillors have outlined their “embarrassment” when speaking to Johnstown residents about community facilities, because of so many “broken promises”.

Councillors expressed annoyance at a meeting of Navan Municipal Council last week that there wasn't a presentation on proposals for land at Dunville earmarked for community facilities.

However the meeting heard that consultants had been appointed for the project, preferred options had been identified and it was expected officials would be in a position to give a presentation in the next two months.

Cllr Emer Tóibín raised the issue pointing out that the councillors had expected a presentation on the proposed facilities at Dunville at the March meeting and when that hadn't happened they expected it to be on the agenda for this most recent (April) meeting.

“This is another blow to a project that has suffered an incredible number of blows,” she said.

“Patience levels have seriously run out. I don't know how many posts I've put up about the proposals and I'm quite embarrassed because none of them have come to pass.

“The information I posted in 2021 was no different to what I posted in 2023 and the council. This doesn't do our relationships with constituents any good.

“From now on in we need to get accurate information. This has been going on for decades.

“For 12,000 people in Johnstown not to have a playground is a really, really bad reflection on the town, a really bad reflection on us and I just hope we get a really, really good detailed presentation in May with timelines.”

Cllr Alan Lawes said they had been promised a presentation at the meeting which the Chief Executive had called with members of Navan Municipal Council to find out the issues they were concerned about. “We raised the issue of the community facility with him.

“We pointed out that people in Johnstown were looking at the new facility in Bettystown and thinking they had waited for 20 years and all they were getting was promises. We were promised a presentation. We need something concrete to show them.”

“There are community groups here today hoping to see something on facilities they have been promised for over 12 years. This undermines our position.

“I hope that at the May meeting, there is a full presentation and that we can make that promise today.”

Cllr Eddie Fennessy asked for a presentation on community infrastructure in the entire area, because there are now two projects, one in Dunville and another in Farganstown.

Cllr Yemi Adenuga said she “disappointed and shocked it was not on agenda.”

“It is very disheartening when you are out and about and people in Johnstown ask you about the playground and you find yourself stuttering because we really have nothing to show for it. We just want to know what is happening. We want clear information, an idea of when things likely to happen. “

Cllr Padraig FItzsimons said it was so hard to face people when you think something is happening and then it doesn't.

“To be fair to the members we should have clear information.”

Senior engineer, Nicholas Whyatt said the Farganstown project is a private development which had only just got planning permission and was still in the time frame for appeal, so he could not talk about it at the meeting.

“Dunville is further along. Consultants have been appointed, there is a preferred scheme and we should be in a position in the next two months to arrange a briefing for the members,” he said.