Chamber ‘lock-out’ for Cloughleigh residents

TWENTY residents from Cloughleigh, Hermitage, along with Clare County Councillor Tony Mulqueen and staff of The Clare Champion were “locked out” of the Ennis council chamber on Tuesday, where a special meeting of the town council was being held regarding the Ennis Youth and Community Resource Building Project.
Disgruntled residents, concerned about the proposal to locate a youth and community resource building in Cloughleigh, had the door of the council chamber closed on them in advance of the meeting start time.
Invited members of the press and Ennis West Councillor Tony Mulqueen were not immune from the lock-out and were told that, due to fire and health and safety regulations, no-one else was allowed into the council chamber, on the orders of town clerk Eddie Power.
Those who remained outside expressed their anger that they were being kept from a meeting they were entitled to attend.
Cloughleigh resident, Seán Kelleher, said, “It’s just typical; you come to voice your opinion and they close the door in your face. The whole thing is a complete joke, they are trying to sweep it all under the carpet and think no-one will notice. There are elderly people who are living all along Cloughleigh Road and they will be affected. We’re all worried about anti-social behaviour. To us, it’s a case of keep it at all at one side of the town. There’s nothing like this up at say Lifford.”
Another Cloughleigh resident, Martin Molloy, explained that he had worked through his lunch to be in a position to go to the meeting. “I have no objection to the facility itself, it is just the area that it’s planned for. There are a lot of elderly people living there and they don’t need that,” he said.
Councillor Tony Mulqueen said he was only made aware of the meeting late in the day and stressed that even though he is a county councillor for Ennis West, he does not receive correspondence in relation to town council meetings. He said that while he cannot speak at such meetings, he should be entitled to notification.
After approximately 20 minutes outside the chamber, a member of the public opened the doors and those waiting were let into the remainder of the meeting but many left “infuriated”.
At the meeting, it was accepted by all councillors that there was no objection to such a facility being provided in the town but some councillors echoed residents’ concerns that the location may not be suitable.
Councillor Tommy Brennan said the public was being fed “lies”. “I’ve listened to the codswallop that’s been thrown up to the elderly in Cloughleigh, that there’s going to be a methadone clinic up there and that there will be drink and drugs – that’s a load of rubbish. I’ve heard back that I’m in support of this because my brother will get a job there, that’s the kind of sh**e I’m hearing. Half of what the people are being told is lies,” he said. 
Councillor Peter Considine outlined that the facility would be drink and drug free catering for 14 to 18-year-olds and would be run by the Clare Youth Service in collaboration with Clare County Council.
“I will not be associated with scaremongering,” he said. “We all want what’s good for the town. The youth of this town are crying out for some place to go. To suggest that they would go there from 6pm to 10pm and then go to boozing parties is disingenuous to say the least.”
Meanwhile, Mayor of Ennis Councillor Frankie Neylon claimed he knew that that a site notice was not erected until recently and called for the planning permission to be deemed “invalid”.
The meeting heard that alternative sites were identified in the early stages of the process but that Cloughleigh Road had been deemed the most suitable and this proposal went to the members for consideration.
Councillor Michael Guilfoyle asked why the new members of the town council were not informed of the alternative locations.
Town manager, Ger Dollard, outlined that the planning report for Cloughleigh Road was put in front of the members adding, “we can’t get a planning report for alternative locations”.