Cost of boundary wall at Limerick graveyard revealed

CONSTRUCTION of a new boundary wall and railings along the edge of a graveyard, at Kilmallock Road on the city's southside, cost almost €250,000.

Figures obtained by Labour councillor Elena Secas at this month’s metropolitan district meeting reveal that €247,985.41 was spent on the infrastructure at Mount St Oliver graveyard in Crossagalla.

There has long been calls for the railings to be installed after the cemetery became a haven for anti-social behaviour.

As reported by Limerick Live, horses were wandering in from nearby estates, destroying the area around the graves of loved ones and causing anguish for families.

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Senior engineer Aidan Finn revealed the cost to Cllr Secas in a written answer.

“This cost was inclusive of levelling the large mound of material located on the cemetery side of the boundary wall and associated landscaping,” he confirmed.

Some €100,000 of the project was funded from the councillors’ general municipal allocation.

This is devolved funding, separate from the overall council budget which is given to members to spend on projects in their own localities.

The remainder of the money was paid out from development contributions.

Development contributions refers to money paid by entities who have received planning permission.

For larger scale planning projects, one of the conditions around receiving a successful grant normally involves the paying of money to council for local infrastructure.

Cllr Secas said she asked the question of the cost of the boundary wall on foot of a query from a constituent of hers.

She says she will have to compare the spend to other similar projects in the city, and acknowledged construction costs have increased significantly in recent years.

The City East councillor said building the boundary wall and railing was a vital measure.

“It is very important. There would have been a lot of anti-social behaviour around the area. The wall addresses these issues. It was important to get the wall built for the people living in the houses facing it. They would have borne the brunt of the anti-social behaviour,” she said.

Cllr Secas added horses wandering in from nearby estates to graze in the cemetery also posed a danger of vehicle accidents on the surrounding roads.