For years, a developer has kept a stretch of road closed off, clogging up traffic

On the northern outskirts of Swords, near Mooretown and Oldtown, the sun was rising at 8am.

Already, the Glen Ellan Road was clogged with traffic heading east, while parents walked their children west towards the Swords Educate Together School.

Martin Moore, a local for 22 years now, says there has been an explosion of traffic in the area. “It’s just got to the extent that we can’t get out of the estate at certain times in the morning.”

Anyone using the road in the morning between 7.30am and 8.30am is facing this on a daily basis, says Fine Gael Councillor Luke Corkery. “It’s absolutely chock-a-block. It takes 10 minutes to do a two-minute journey, or longer, especially in the winter months.”

One of the troubles, Corkery says, is that there is an extension to the road on its western end, which is closed off. “It just stops. There is a cut-off point right adjacent to the school.”

Right beside the Educate Together school, the road is blocked by fencing, with concrete barricades behind it, and cars parked in front of it.

The fences were put up by Gannon Properties, which is building lots of homes in the area.

These prevent motorists and public transport from using 300 metres of a 1.5km winding and angular road.  Only construction workers can use that stretch.

According to Google Street images, they have been up for at least five years.

Approved by Fingal County Council in November 2012, the development consists of 224 houses, with the council stating in its conditions that it would eventually take charge of the road that is being extended as part of these works.

But it is unclear as to when that will be, a council official told councillors at the Balbriggan/Rush-Lusk/Swords area committee on 14 November.

Gannon is currently in Phase 2C of this project, and they are providing no timeframe yet. Nor will they be in a position to do so until the fifth phase has started, the official said.

The council needs to prioritise taking the road in charge, but it is frustrating because their hands are tied, Corkery told the meeting

BusConnects is going to need that road at the start of 2026, Corkery said on Friday. “You’ve got the Swords Express can’t run more services down there, because there isn’t a safe turning point.”

Councillors expressed their annoyance at the fact that this has become a recurring issue in the past couple of years.

During the meeting, Sinn Féin Councillor Malachy Quinn said there are numerous estates that councillors have asked about taking-in-charge across the county.

Councillors and staff are going to a great deal of effort to get the developers on their side, working with the council, he said. “And the developers are walking away.”

Gannon Properties did not respond when asked if there was a clearer timeline on when it would get around to opening the road up.

Held hostage

The ongoing wait for Gannon Properties to open up the last remaining stretch of the Glen Ellan Road was coming locally from a real place of frustration, said Corkery.

Corkery had asked, in a motion brought before the area committee, that the council’s chief executive, AnnMarie Farrelly, prioritise the taking in charge of the road’s extension between Rathbeale Road and Miller’s Glen.

The council had asked, several times, for updates from the developer, said Colin Gallagher, a senior engineer in the council’s Planning and Strategic Infrastructure section, in a written report.

But Gannon Properties said the road is being used to facilitate construction traffic as part of its second phase, Gallagher wrote, “and is also required to facilitate construction access for Phase 5 of the development”.

Signage fixed to the fencing informs locals that access is limited only to construction workers.

A small portion of the road will be extended beyond Westmill Gate to facilitate access when Phase 2C of the development is completed, with this expected in early 2025, he wrote.

There was no definitive timescale for when the road could fully be opened, he said, “but [the developer] hopes to be in a position to give an estimate once works on Phase 5 have commenced”.

The situation is dragging on, said independent Councillor Joe Newman. “It’s really crucial that somebody takes action to try and get that road open.”

There needs to be a phased taking-in-charge that is done as part of the planning process, said Sinn Féin Councillor Ann Graves. “Because the development down there is absolutely huge, and to wait until the end is ridiculous.”

Taking charge

This is a situation councillors are becoming all too used to.

Over in Donabate earlier this month, locals in The Paddocks estate have been vocal in their frustration as they wait on developer Aljaco Ltd to finish footpaths and deliver playgrounds.

Labour Councillor Corina Johnston said, in early November, that the issue has become far more noticeable in the last two years.

Aljaco Ltd, who were contacted at the time, did not respond when asked why they had not yet completed these works.

Sinn Féin Councillor Malachy Quinn said, in Castleland Park, in Balbriggan, there is an ongoing situation where a developer hasn’t been engaging with the council, and is causing delays for a nearby development by Glenveagh Homes.

Because of that, Quinn said, “we’re not able to take in two estates at the same time”.

It’s just one example, he said. “We need to probably look to Central Government legislation to be able to bring developers to the table and force their hand.”

Residents can ask the council to take charge of an estate by holding a plebiscite.

But outside of that, the local authorities are limited in their ability to intervene, Corkery said, speaking on Friday. “I would like to see something more national, in terms of enforcement. I’m not sure what guise that would take.”