Call for in-house project reports

A North Clare Councillor has called for reports on proposed local authority projects to be carried out in-house after it emerged over €100,000 was spent on a masterplan for the Lahinch prom commissioned four years ago, with only two elements of it implemented to date.
Councillor Joe Arkins recently requested that the relevant director of service responsible give an outline on the status of the consultants’ report on the upgrading of the promenade at Lahinch, when it was commissioned, whether or not it had been completed and what the cost of the report would be.
“Consultants Malachy Walsh and Partners were appointed in early 2007 as consultants to prepare a masterplan for the promenade area of Lahinch. The fee for the project was €94,800 plus VAT. Since their appointment, they brought forward a number of proposals including car-parking arrangements, traffic management and improvement options for the promenade area, coastal protection measures and proposals for new amenity block and services building and a site for the new playground. They were also consultants for the completion of the lifeguard station,” the council’s response stated.
The council also highlighted work being carried out, pointing to the replacement of railings along the prom, of which quotations are currently being sought.
“While there have been many elements to the overall project, two of these have been completed in full to date, namely the lifeguard station and the community playground, developed by the Playground Committee in conjunction with the council. With regard to the playground, it is hoped to carry out further improvements in that area and install picnic benches. The next element is the replacement of the railings and approval has been given to proceed with this element and quotations are being sought at present,” the reply said.
Councillor Arkins told a recent Ennistymon Electoral Area Committee meeting that no master plan had yet been submitted to an area meeting.
“The presentation of the final master plan proposals will be brought to the area committee shortly, once land ownership details of some areas are determined. In addition, an application has been made to Fáilte Ireland for funding for the construction of the amenity services building and other improvements on the promenade,” the council’s response concluded.
“This was €95,000 invested or €95,000 gone up the swannee, depending how you look at it. We have to look at doing this sort of thing in-house and provide better value for money. In that four and a half years, we have missed the boat in terms of funding,” Councillor Arkins stated.
“We have to sit back and examine what we spend on consultants’ reports and see if it is value for money,” he added.
Councillor Richard Nagle stated that Lahinch had been the subject of a number of consultants’ reports, which dealt with traffic management, coastal erosion and the car park and said the popular seaside town had become “the perfect example of bureaucracy gone crazy”.
The Fianna Fáil councillor called for powers of decision making to return to the local area.
“During the boom, decision making became more centralised. We created a bureaucracy that was not sustainable then and is certainly not sustainable now. Lahinch is a perfect example of bureaucracy gone crazy,” he stated.
Councillor Michael Kelly said a situation where “practically every small project now needs a report” was not practical or sustainable.
“The report, in some cases, costs more than the job and that is a crazy system, not to be able to do small projects without having someone going doing a report,” Councillor Kelly asserted.
Councillor Arkins asked council officials how much of the €94,000, plus VAT, has been paid out to date adding, “I have to ask ‘could this money be spent in a better way?’
“Some of what was proposed was never going to happen and we have to look and see can we spend this money better,” he concluded.