Blake’s Corner works delayed until 2014

WORK on one of the county’s most congested junctions will not begin until 2014 at the earliest, a senior Clare County Council official confirmed this week.

An Bord Pleanála recently found that an Environmental Impact Statement has to be completed before work can begin on the destruction and reconstruction of the Blake’s and Linnane’s buildings in Ennistymon. The council is proposing to do the work on the buildings as part of a change to the layout of the junction connecting the N85 and N67.

The board directed the authority to prepare an EIS in respect of the proposed road development because it “would be likely to have significant effects on the environment”.

Speaking after the decision was announced, the county’s senior engineer, Tom Tiernan, said work could not now begin before 2014.

“Pending receipt of relevant approvals and confirmation of availability of funding, the earliest that construction work could get underway is 2014,” he said.

This has prompted one local representative to call on the council and the National Roads Authority (NRA) to disregard existing plans and come up with a new, more ambitious solution to the ongoing congestion problem.

“I don’t think that the demolition of Blake’s Corner will resolve the situation and larger-scale plans will have to be drawn up but how long more will we have to wait? In the meantime, if some traffic-control measure, such as a one-way system, was tried out, it might help in the short term but they are trying out nothing,” said Councillor Bill Slattery.

“I am very disappointed that we are now told it could be 2014 or later before something is done about Blake’s Corner. This is simply not good enough. This corner, in its present state, is causing major traffic disruption on one of the busiest tourist routes to the Cliffs of Moher for holiday makers and local people in the area.

“If the problem is allowed to continue, visitors will stop coming to the area and this will have serious consequences for everyone in North Clare. If this problem existed in the town of Ennis, it would have been resolved years ago. I am disappointed that something more positive was not done during the Celtic Tiger years.

“At this stage I think Clare County Council and the NRA should go back to the drawing board and come up with different proposals, such as a new bridge over the river. After all, if the council can get funding for a new inner relief road for Ennis and the northern relief road for Killaloe and millions was spent on the road to nowhere on the Gort Road in Ennis, why should the people of North Clare put up with this farce any longer,” he asked.

According to An Bord Pleanála documents, the proposed development of the corner would involve the deconstruction of the two protected structures and their reconstruction 10-12m back from the public road (N67).

It would also include the construction of a mini-roundabout at the junction of the N85 and N67 and works to the existing Ennistymon Bridge, including the removal of the footpath and the construction of a walkway or boardwalk on the southern side of the bridge. The vacant footpath space on the bridge will be incorporated into the carriageway width and a pedestrian crossing is proposed just east of the Ennistymon Bridge.

Responding to the decision by An Bord Pleanála indicating that an EIS would be required, Mr Tiernan said, “Clare County Council indicated to An Bord Pleanála that it considered that an EIS would be appropriate in this case and An Bord Pleanála has now confirmed that it agrees with this. We now have greater clarity as regards what planning strategy is to be followed.

“Approval has been sought from the NRA to appoint a consultant and a response is awaited. Depending on the scope, yet to be finalised, an EIS can cost anything from €50,000 to €150,000,” he said.

According to Mr Tiernan, the council has been trying to relieve the congestion at the junction for nearly a decade.

“The project is primarily required to alleviate the annual traffic congestion and delays, which evolve persistently in the vicinity of and along the approaches to Blake’s Corner and seriously hinder tourist activity throughout the North Clare area – an area which depends enormously on tourism on an ongoing basis. The project is also necessary to facilitate the safety of all road users, including motorists, cyclists, coaches and pedestrians, who use the junction,” he said.

The council has already spent in the region of €600,000 purchasing the Blake’s and Linnane’s properties and a further €10,000 to €15,000 on a report recommending that the buildings be deconstructed and reconstructed back from the narrow junction and the road widened. The report was withheld from elected members of the council after four out of five of the local councillors voted against it being released to them or the public. In addition to the cost of the buildings, the council has spent a total of €25,000 on the process to this stage, according to the county’s senior engineer.
Local lobby group Save Ennistymon’s Heritage, which has campaigned for the preservation of the buildings, welcomed the decision of An Bord Pleanála. It accused the council of a lack of transparency and adopting “a cloak and dagger approach” to the project.

“We still believe that there are more viable options to the Blake’s Corner question. We would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Clare County Council and have a positive approach to the situation. Clare County Council should really reconsider their position, even at this late hour. We have garnered substantial support for our cause over the years. We would like to be positive and we have made certain proposals already to Clare County Council, which they have ignored, that is to move the buildings back in full and intact. We completely reject the idea of a Hollywood set in Ennistymon. Furthermore, we would ask Clare County Council to publish the cost of their proposals urgently. The council should consult with all interested parties urgently,” said Denis Vaughan, spokesperson for Save Ennistymon’s Heritage.

Councillor Richard Nagle, who lives in Ennistymon, said he was not surprised by the decision of An Bord Pleanála but expressed disappointment “because it will further delay the project”.

“We are facing into another year of traffic gridlock and all of the dangers associated with that,” he said.

“The junction is clearly not fit for purpose. It is not designed to cope with modern-day traffic and the volume of traffic on the roads at the moment. When that bridge and junction were designed, it was designed for pedestrians, cyclists and horses and cars. There were very few vehicles on the road at the time, over 100 years ago,” said Councillor Nagle.

“Everyone is worried about the safety of pedestrians. All one has to do is look every morning when elderly people are trying to get across to get to mass and hundreds of school children are crossing the bridge on a daily basis. In addition, you have co-operation between the secondary schools in the town so you have children crossing it during the day too.

“There have been a number of accidents on that bridge involving both vehicles and pedestrians and it defies belief that after all this time, we are now facing into another two years probably of waiting before anything can happen. One would have to ask will we have to wait until someone is seriously injured or there is a fatality? I am calling on Clare County Council to immediately contact the NRA to obtain the necessary funding to allow the EIS to go ahead as a matter of urgency,” Councillor Nagle stated.