Councillor seeks another consultation meeting

COUNCILLOR Cathal Crowe has requested senior council engineer, Tom Tiernan to facilitate a further public consultation event on the Limerick Northern Distributor Road after the latest report failed to explain why a route through the heart of Parteen village and lands prone to flooding in rural Clonlara was chosen.

“This offers no solace to the families who live along the proposed route and raises a lot of questions.
“At this time last year, several route options were being considered. These route options were subjected to a constraints study, which involved an analysis of the physical, community, environmental, traffic and utility features in the South-East Clare area. Public consultation and submissions also formed an integral part of this process. I find it very disappointing that only a half page of the 111 page Draft Constraints Report references the public consultation process to date.
“It would make more sense now to abandon the Northern Distributor Road project and concentrate funds and resources on maintaining and upgrading the existing roads network.
“An investment of €3 or €4 million in the South-East Clare roads could provide greater connectivity and access to the University of Limerick campus. This would achieve the aims and objectives of the Northern Distributor Road project for a fraction of the cost of what it would cost to build an elaborate, expensive and disruptive new road,” he said.
Clare County Council has already held a number of public consultation meetings concerning this route and recently extended the deadline for submissions until May 10.
Senior engineer Tom Tiernan confirmed he has not received any requests to facilitate a further public consultation event since the Draft Constraints Report was issued into the public arena.