Parents Voice Concerns Over Extremely Narrow Footpath at New Ardee Educate Together School

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While celebrating the long-awaited opening of the new Ardee Educate Together school, parents have expressed frustration over the “extremely narrow” public footpath leading up to the campus, local councillors confirmed during the September meeting of Ardee Municipal District.

Raising the issue, Cllr. Dolores Minogue noted that while it was “brilliant to see the new school opened,” parents had made numerous complaints about the pathway. “It’s a very narrow strip between the petrol station and the school, and I know there is a plan in place, and I have explained it to parents, but they want the footpath imminently,” she said.

Councillor and Council Responses

Cllr. John Sheridan emphasized that the issue requires urgent resolution so that children can safely walk to school—a priority particularly vital in Ardee where traffic congestion remains a major challenge. Cathaoirleach Cllr. Jim Tenanty added that all councillors had received “irate emails from disgruntled parents” regarding parking and footpath conditions outside the school, though he noted he personally experienced no major issues when visiting during opening week.

Responding to the concerns, John O’Hagan, Senior Engineer at Louth County Council, explained that the school project was delivered under a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Department of Education, which dictated the scope of the road junction works.

Mr. O’Hagan noted that the original planning was formulated years ago under the expectation that the Ardee Bypass would be underway by this stage. Addressing the physical constraints, he explained that widening the Jervis Street footpath is complicated by a boundary wall belonging to the curtilage of a listed building, requiring careful heritage navigation.

To achieve the necessary widening, an estimated three metres of adjacent property must be acquired. While the council has been actively liaising with the landowner and hopes to see progress before the close of 2026, officials cautioned that resorting to a CPO could result in extended delays.

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