Fingal County Council has run up against vocal opposition to the pedestrianisation of New Street in Malahide, north Dublin.

Three weeks into the pilot project, which sees one of the town's main commercial streets closed to cars and vans, local businesses and residents have started a campaign to highlight their strong objections to the council's actions and the one -sided nature of the public narrative.

The Save Malahide Village campaign has over forty local businesses and many houses in the area displaying distinctive red and yellow posters in their windows in support. The objective of the campaign is to have the street re-opened immediately with a view to having a full public consultation about the plans.

Áine McCabe, local pharmacist and Shop Malahide co-founder, stated: “The pedestrianisation of New Street impacts on traffic flow around the village, public order, and business. Parking, while a peripheral issue, is also a concern.

“The narrative put forward by Fingal County Council didn't acknowledge that there had been inadequate public consultation and gave the impression that the change was being universally welcomed. We have very real concerns that need to be heard and so decided to challenge that narrative. We are not against change, we just want the right change for our village."

In Association with

Residents of the area also expressed their concerns at the impact the pedestrianisation was having on their quality of life, in particular primarily residential Old Street.

James T. Doyle, community activist and resident, added: “From a resident's point of view, Old Street has now effectively become a main thoroughfare of the village with practically no notice. We now have considerably more traffic, including buses and goods vehicles coming own our road and have lost residents' parking as a result.”

Meanwhile, Fingal Council says Restart Grant payments to businesses have topped over €5m with 982 businesses approved for grants ranging from €2,000 to €10,000. The council said that 1,547 businesses have completed online applications under the scheme. The closing date for Restart Grant application for Fingal and other councils is August 31.

The grant is equivalent to the rates bill of the business in 2019, with a minimum payment of €2,000 and a maximum payment of €10,000.

To avail of the Restart Grant, a business must have a turnover of less than €5m and have 50 or less employees. The business must have suffered a projected 25% or more loss in revenue from 1st April 2020 to 30th June 2020.

The business must commit to remain open or to reopen if it was closed. The business must also declare the intention to retain employees who are benefitting from the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme. The grant can be used to defray ongoing fixed costs, e.g. utilities, insurance, refurbishment or for measures to ensure employee and customer safety.