Anti-social behaviour leads to call for night-time closure of Clonmel lane

Anti-social behaviour has led to a call for a Clonmel town centre laneway to be closed at night.

Cllr. Martin Lonergan told a meeting of Clonmel Borough District that local property owners and tenants, both commercial and residential, were anxious that action would be taken "to establish a cleaner laneway and discourage any feelings of menace and negativity" at East Lane.

The proposal by the property owners and tenants was that the Mitchel Street gated entrance would be locked at 6pm, as was the case at the opposite end of the lane at the entrance beside Mulcahy's in Gladstone Street.

Cllr. Lonergan said the property owners were offering to set up a locking mechanism themselves to ensure that the lane would remain open during the day, so that people could use the thoroughfare.

District Administrator Anthony Coleman said that the council would engage with the property owners and tenants in East Lane to discuss their proposals.

Any proposals would need to have due consideration to the public's right of access to this area, he said.

Repairs to street lighting on the lane would also be undertaken by the council's contractor.

Mr. Coleman said the issue of anti-social behaviour in East Lane should also be brought to the attention of the Gardaí.

Cllr. Pat English said that people used these town centre lanes during the day and this tradition went back hundreds of years, although he accepted that closing them at night was a different matter.