WORKS ON the Enniscorthy bypass in the townsland of Asquinton in the Milehouse area ground to a halt last week as local residents staged a protest over accommodation works. Around ten people gathered on site from last Tuesday onwards in a bid to stop work from continuing until the dispute was resolved.

The source of the dispute is said to be accommodation works and a boundary issue regarding one property in particular. The property has already lost some land to the bypass, however, the owners have been left extremely concerned regarding new boundaries and the lack of a boundary wall or fence between the property and the new road.

Gardaí were present at the site last week, however, it is believed that no arrests were made. Work on that section of the bypass, however, has ground to a halt and talks are scheduled to take place between the residents and the contractors BAM Construction this week.

Cllr Kathleen Codd Nolan has been acting as an intermediary between both sides in the dispute and is hopeful that everything should be resolved in the coming week.

“Talks are ongoing at the moment,” she said. “It’s a difficult situation in that this is someone’s family home. Both parties are interacting at the moment and we hope to have a meeting during the week which will hopefully see the matter resolve and works resume in the area.”

A deadline of February 20 has been set for the resolution of the dispute, however, Cllr Codd Nolan is hopeful that both sides can reach an agreement in the coming days.

Work on the bypass as a whole is said to be well ahead of schedule at the moment, however, the contractors will hope to continue their rapid progress and avoid any further delays.

By-pass work at Asquinton. Pic: John Walsh