THE provision of a new sewage treatment plant in Broadford will have to be prioritised, according to the outgoing chairman of the Killaloe Municipal District (KMD), Councillor Joe Cooney.
In an interview with the Clare Champion, Councillor Cooney outlined a lot of projects have been progressed in the Killaloe MD over the last year.
These include the new Shannon River Crossing, Iniscealtra, local authority housing developments in Tulla and Scariff and action taken on derelict buildings.
One of the most positive developments is the possibility of securing a pilot scheme to provide a new sewage treatment plant in Broadford village.
Unless rural towns and villages can secure new sewage treatment plants, he warned further closures of shops and post offices are inevitable.
There are about ten locations in the KMD, which don’t have access to proper waste water treatment facilities, he said.
Clare County Council will be putting forward two locations in the county to the Department of Housing for inclusion in the national pilot sewerage scheme project.
Councillor Cooney said councillors in the KMD will continue to campaign for Broadford to be selected as one of the two Clare schemes that will be seeking national approval for funding.
The Fine Gael Councillor recalled Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has indicated Broadford would be considered for funding if it is a shovel-ready project.
He confirmed council officials are working on providing the details for the application process. It is understood the application from the council has to be made in September.
Irish Water has informed Councillor Cooney they don’t have the funding to provide new waste water facilities in rural villages and also have a lot of existing infrastructure that needs to be brought up to a proper standard.
Commenting on the new Shannon River Crossing, he said it is great that funding has been secured to start this project and that a contractor has been appointed.
He pointed out prices increases have unfortunately delayed the start of work on the new Killaloe Bridge, Killaloe Bypass and upgrading of the Ballina to Birdhill regional road.
“Hopefully, this project will start in the near future when there is an agreement between the contractor, the department and the local authority concerning inflation.”
Over the coming weeks, new tenants will be moving into 25 new council houses in Tulla, once some minor works are completed.
He said this is a major achievement for the KMD and the council’s housing section. A lot of work has been completed concerning the provision of 18 one, two and three bedroom apartments in Scariff.
This scheme has been sent on to the department for final funding approval to go to tender.
Active Travel projects provided public footpaths and walking trails for pedestrians and walkers in Clooney, Quin, Tulla and Kilmurry.
He hopes more funding will be provided to extend this scheme into more rural towns and villages.
A new footpath will be built from Tulla to connect the new athletics club facilities under the Active Travel programme.
“One of my main priorities is a new car park for Scariff. Rural Development Fund (RDF) money has been secured to put a plan in place as regards a hub, car park and upgrade the square in Scariff.
“Scariff has been crying out for car parking. Businesses are losing trade on certain days due to the lack of car parking on Wednesday and Thursday in particular,” he stated.
He paid tribute to former Scariff GAA chairman, Sean Grogan, whose untimely death caused a lot of sadness in East Clare.
“He was a fantastic man, a local farmer, worked with the council, a great GAA man and was very much involved in politics. Sean was a pleasure to meet and always loved a chat. He will be sadly missed by his work colleagues and family.”
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.