Blake’s Corner conservation being put before safety

A North Clare councillor has claimed that “conservation and heritage are being put before health and safety” at Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon.
Councillor Bill Slattery from Lahinch submitted a notice of motion at a recent meeting of Ennistymon Electoral Area representatives calling for the steps at the listed buildings to be backfilled on the grounds of public safety.
“In light of continuing delays and serious safety concerns at Blake’s Corner, Ennisytmon,” the Fine Gael councillor requested “the senior executive engineer to back fill the steps bringing them to road surface level and remove the two sidewalls at Blake’s and Linnane’s to protect the safety of both motorists and pedestrians.”
In a written reply, Senior Executive Engineer, Ennistymon Area Office, Stephen Lahiffe confirmed “it has always been the intention of Clare County Council to provide a roundabout, public footpath and pedestrian crossings at Blake’s Corner. This is the only way to minimise the risk to motorists and pedestrians alike. Until this is achieved the risk to pedestrians and vehicular traffic cannot be fully addressed.”
He went on to state, “Clare County Council agree that the filling in of the steps may reduce the risk to vehicular and pedestrian traffic and it is our intention to do so. However, the removal of the wall may create a further hazard to pedestrian traffic. Coupled with that Blake’s and Linnane’s are listed buildings and any works around them cannot impact on them structurally. Great care has to be taken that the surface water generated by the development is directed to the river and not allowed to enter the premises.”
At the meeting Councillor Slattery said he was dissatisfied with this response.
“At the moment truck and bus drivers, if they are turning to Lahinch, must break the law and cross the white line,” he claimed.
Councillor Slattery argued that backfilling the steps “would really help motorists, pedestrians and children crossing the bridge”.
“Common sense should prevail,” the Lahinch man added.
Councillor Slattery’s ire was further raised this week when another car left the road at the corner. He accused the council of “dragging its feet on the issue” and expressed his dissatisfaction that people in North Clare would not have the opportunity to have their say on the future of the corner. At the January meeting of North Clare councillors, the county’s senior engineer stated that an Environmental Impact Statement was being produced and that a decision in relation to the buildings would be made by An Bord Plean la. This means a Part 8 planning application will not now be made.
“I think it is an absolute disgrace that the people of North Clare will not get to make submissions on this. When the EIS is prepared at a cost of €100,000 it goes straight to An Bord Pleanala. The people of North Clare, and the people of Ennisytmon in particular, whose children have to cross the road at this very dangerous junction for the foreseeable future, cannot make submissions in relation to the future of the corner. It looks very unfair,” he continued.
Save Ennistymon’s Heritage, a lobby group campaigning for the retention of the buildings, previously expressed its members’ satisfaction at An Bord Pleanala’s involvement.
“This means that the decision on the future of the corner has been taken out of the hands of Clare County Council and is now in the hands of an independent public body and our fellow citizens,” commented group member Denis Vaughan.
At the North Clare council meeting, responding to Councillor Slattery’s motion, Mr Lahiffe reiterated that “the only real solution, the only safe solution is to construct a public footpath that is included in the planning permission.”
He noted that filling the gap between the road and the buildings may help in the short term but cautioned “by rectifying one problem we cannot create another”.
“These are listed buildings. You cannot put a force up against this building. If you infill it, the weight from trucks and buses passing will put force against the walls of the building that may damage them,” Mr Lahiffe said. He added that raising the road “could cause drainage issues” and lead to water going from the road to the river, through the buildings.
Councillor Slattery stated that a permanent solution would “not happen for two years, I am asking as a temporary measure that we fill the hole.”
Ruan councillor Joe Arkins questioned whether loose fill like gravel, might work as a temporary situation.
“We agree that putting something there would help, and if we can get a proper solution we will do it but only a solution that would not damage the buildings,” Mr Lahiffe concluded.