Compulsory purchase order for junction improvement

CLARE County Council has issued a compulsory purchase order notice for confirmation to An Board Pleanála in respect of lands at Clashmore, Feakle, which it requires to carry out necessary road junction improvements.
The mayor, county manager and county secretary signed off on the compulsory purchase order on December 1 and in a public document, the authority outlined its intention of improving the junction between Scariff and Feakle in the townland of Clashmore.
An area of agricultural land measuring 0.0158 hectares and 0.0456 hectares of a public road, which are both in the ownership of James Denis Anthony Conway, is the subject of the compulsory purchase order.
If the order is confirmed by An Board Pleanála, it will authorise the council to acquire this land for the purpose of carrying out junction improvement works, which will consist of setting back boundaries in order to improve sight distance for traffic travelling between Scariff and Feakle. This is where the L80381 and R461 intersect at Clashmore. The council propose that a new boundary wall will be constructed to match the existing boundary wall at this location.
Commenting on the local authority’s decision, Feakle County Councillor Pat Hayes said he has been calling for road improvements at this junction in the interest of safety since he was first elected. “I’ve been pursuing this matter for years, in fact, it was one of the first motions I put down to the council. The council has a duty of care to improve this junction. It is important for road users and for road safety that works are made a matter of priority.
“I would rather that an agreement could have been made with the landowner at a local level but the council is now proceeding to a compulsory purchase order, hoping that the issue will be resolved.
“This is for the benefit of the community and it is important that we do resolve issues like this. Sight lines at this junction are extremely poor and it’s a constant danger for those using these roads and those that live there,” he concluded.