Source: Darragh Byrne

A PROTESTER IS to spend a second day on board a raft on the site of a controversial proposed bridge in Kilkenny.

On board the raft is a tent with the words ‘No CAS’ written on it.

CAS is the Kilkenny Central Access Scheme, under which a bridge is being built over the River Nore.

A photo by local photographer Danny Lahart, with the #savekilkenny hashtag that protesters have been using on Twitter. Source: Danny Lahart

Some residents are protesting because they believe the road will bring more traffic into the centre of the medieval city.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie yesterday, the man who built the raft said that he is there to “try and stop [construction workers] driving piles into the river and try and stop them building the massive bridge through the medieval heart of Kilkenny, which the majority of Kilkenny people don’t want”.

Work on the bridge was temporarily suspended last Thursday after protesters swam into the path of the construction work.

Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council (KCC) Patrick Millea said that he believes work will resume in the next day or so.

However, with the raft in the path of the work, this could raise issues.

Councillors will meet again on the subject on 1 September, having agreed to undertake a review of the CAS.

At a meeting on Saturday, councillors were given legal advice that they could not overturn the decision on the bridge.

A local protester said that there was anger expressed by many of the locals present when they were given the news by councillors. There were “tumultuous scenes” after the announcement was made.

She said “we don’t regret the feelings of extreme anger but we do regret the way it was expressed”.

Protesters are believed to be looking at the contracts for the bridge with a legal expert.

Read: Protester builds ‘raft’ to stop building of controversial Kilkenny bridge>