Tag Archives: Blake’s Corner

SUBMISSIONS to An Bord Pleanála by property owners affected by the compulsory purchase order for an inner relief road in Ennistymon have revealed stress, fears for business viability and opinions that the project will not actually improve traffic flow. Clare County Council has pledged to complete the detailed design and tender documentation to secure a contractor for the project as soon as possible following planning approval from An Bord Pleanála. Senior Engineer with Clare County Council, Seán Lenihan, confirmed the council would also start the engagement process with affected land and property owners in terms of agreeing compensation packages and other associated arrangements required. A Part Eight development was granted by the council but was appealed to An Bord Pleanála. The development includes the pedestrianisation of the existing bridge, the inclusion of a roundabout at the western end of the proposed new bridge crossing on the L-1084 and the relocation of the existing public car park adjacent to New Road …

CLARE County Council is set to engage immediately with affected landowners as it bids to progress a new relief road in Ennistymon that will alleviate traffic problems in the town. Following approval by An Bord Pleanála for the Council’s N67/N85 Inner Relief Road Ennistymon (Blake’s Corner) Compulsory Purchase Order 2020, the local authority is commencing plans to procure a contractor for the works at the earliest juncture. Should the engagement process go smoothly with attendant approvals from Transport Infrastructure Ireland, work could begin on the project early in 2024. Senior Engineer with Clare County Council, Seán Lenihan, added: “Following the decision by An Bord Pleanála, we will now arrange to complete the detailed design and tender documentation required to procure a contractor for the works at the earliest juncture. “We will also commence the engagement process with affected land and property owners in terms of agreeing compensation packages and other associated arrangements required.” Clare County Council published the CPO in …

AN BORD Pleanala has given the green light for a new bridge in Ennistymon in north Clare that will eliminate one of the most notorious traffic bottlenecks in the country. The appeals board has cleared the way for Clare County Council to press ahead with the new bridge that will end the long standing Blake’s Corner bottleneck that delays tens of thousands of motorists every year on their way to and from the Cliffs of Moher and Lahinch. The new bridge – which will be 80 metres upstream of the existing bridge – will involve the demolition of one family home that includes a florist and a local branch of the Dept of Social Protection. The scheme also involves the pedestrianisation of the existing bridge. In the long running saga, the Council applied for the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to allow the scheme proceed in June 2020 and confirming the CPO today, the appeals board has taken into account to …

THE chair of Save Ennistymon’s Heritage insists the community has “waited long enough” for action to be taken on the infamous Blake’s Corner and is calling on Clare County Council to address the situation “urgently”. Denis Vaughan was speaking after two tourists escaped injury in recent weeks at the corner when their car mounted a wall. When contacted by The Clare Champion about the local concerns, Seán Lenihan, Senior Engineer, stated that Clare County Council is “absolutely committed to resolving the potential conflict that exists at Blakes Corner in Ennistymon”. The council are awaiting an An Bord Pleanala decision on plans to purchase land and buildings around the site to begin construction of a ‘relief road’ between the N85 and N67 Mr Vaughan recalled that the tourists’ car mounted the wall at the end of November. “Besides causing traffic chaos at the busiest corner in Ireland and creating avoidable congestion, it is clearly dangerous. “This situation is likely to continue …

TWO American tourists escaped injury after their car collided with a wall at a notorious junction in North Clare this afternoon. The single-vehicle collision happened at around midday at Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon. The BMW car mounted a wall on the west side of the junction where several collisions have previously occurred. The wall which the car struck today has been damaged and repaired several times previously. The two occupants of the vehicle, understood to be visitors from the US, were uninjured. It’s also understood that a National Ambulance Service crew, that had been passing the area at the time, stopped and assessed the occupants to ensure they had not been hurt. There were traffic hold ups for around 30 minutes while the vehicle was removed from the scene. Gardaí from Ennistymon also attended the incident. Blake’s Corner is located close to a bridge on the main road where the N85 and N67 meet and leads to Lahinch and on to …

A SENIOR Clare County Council official has said that the local authority expects there to be an oral hearing into plans for Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon. At Tuesday’s meeting of West Clare Municipal District, Senior Engineer Sean Lenihan said, “We published the CPO last June, submissions were to be received by An Bord Pleanála in September, there were 12 or 13 submissions all of which are receiving the required attention both from ourselves and the Board. “We are getting ready for an oral hearing, we imagine there will be an oral hearing, but that’s subject to the Board’s decision. They have alluded to the fact that there will most likely be one, but they haven’t actually given us a date.” He said they had thought there would have been progress by this stage, but it should come within three months. “We were hoping to have news by the end of April, which was last Friday, but what we got from …

ALMOST €3 million in roads funding has been allocated to Clare for the coming year, Fine Gael TD Joe Carey has confirmed. Deputy Carey said that €2,932, 040  has been made available to Clare County Council to upgrade and maintain the county’s roads network as a result of funding secured in Budget 2020. “The allocation, which has been confirmed by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, includes €1 million for the provision of a pavement linking Lissycasey to Caherea. “I am also delighted that €350,000 has been set aside for work at Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon and €250,000 for the N19 Shannon Airport access road,” he added.

Clare County Council is introducing a temporary traffic signals system on a trial basis at Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon to address traffic congestion in the area. The system will be put in place this Tuesday and will require monitoring with a view to optimising its performance in terms of improving traffic flow during peak periods in particular. The signals will be located on each of the three approaches to Blake’s Corner. Clare County Council is confident the proposed improvement scheme to address traffic congestion at Blake’s Corner will advance to the planning stage by the end of the year. The statement follows extensive consultation with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) on the optimum design for the scheme which proposes an inner relief road incorporating a new bridge across the Inagh River, 80m upstream of the existing bridge. Following consultation with An Bord Pleanala, Clare County Council also has been advised that the Part 8 planning process is the appropriate route through …