Little progress on Lahinch prom plan

A blistering attack on the poor condition of some facilities serving Lahinch promenade has been delivered Councillor Bill Slattery.
Speaking at a recent Ennistymon Electoral Area meeting, Councillor Slattery claimed the state of some sections of the promenade in Lahinch has “gone back 20 years”.
Having tabled a motion about the revenue from parking fees and fines, Councillor Slattery was informed Lahinch car park generated €209,766 in 2009, €157,914 in 2010 and €206,741 in 2011. The corresponding figures for fines were €15,376, €11,460 and €13,411.
This is in addition to the €450,000 collected by the council following the sale of the old toilets in Lahinch.
The Fine Gael councillor called on the council to conduct an audit on all monies collected at the promenade and Liscannor Road car park and an outline of how these funds have been spent.
“Since car-parking fees were introduced at Lahinch promenade in 1993, there was an assurance given to the late Councillor Frank Henchy and the community of Lahinch that the revenue generated at car parks would be re-invested in additional facilities at the promenade.
“There was a clear understanding that these monies would be an addition to the ongoing annual spend on cleaning and maintenance and would be additional to any grant aid received from central government.
“Any profits gained from parking charges were to be ring-fenced for the development of the promenade. Lahinch has also contributed to the county council coffers from development charges arising from the building boom during the Celtic Tiger years and I feel that these monies have been swallowed up into countywide developments without any major benefit to Lahinch residents.
“I am calling for a comprehensive development plan for the promenade outlining how this badly needed funding is to be reinvested in the promenade,” he said.
He also proposed new bylaws should be introduced prohibiting trading on Lahinch promenade as well as setting down a designated area for surfers to carry out their business.
While surfers were welcome in Lahinch, he stressed the needs of holidaymakers and day-trippers also needs to be taken into account.
“There are no controls in place on the promenade at the moment; vans, camper vans and caravans are all over the place. The promenade is being clogged up with surfers and surfers’ equipment. Swimmers can’t swim and people can’t go for a walk.
“Part of the Cliff has subsided on the Miltown road and as a result people can’t walk out on the rocks.
“There is only one public light on the old promenade. People can’t walk on the promenade at night without running the risk of stepping on dog foul and may have to endure anti-social behaviour,” he said.
He also questioned the value of spending €94,500 on a master plan for the promenade, which was completed by Malachy Walsh and Partners in 2007.
Councillor Richard Nagle proposed this motion should be raised at a county council meeting to establish from the executive where the major income from parking fees and fines had been spent.
Despite receiving a presentation from three different consultants about the development of Lahinch promenade, there was still no major progress on its implementation.
Claiming the project had turned into a “bureaucratic mess”, Councillor Nagle stressed it was important to establish why the project was taking so long to get off the ground.
Councillor Michael Hillery stressed all the income from parking fees and fines should be re-invested in Lahinch, which Councillor Michael Kelly proposed this should be pursued at county council level.
Councillor Bill Slattery expressed concern that people who wanted to take a walk on the promenade for 10 or 15 minutes had to pay a parking fee of €2 or else risk a €40 parking fine. He proposed it should be reduced down to €1 for an hour.
Senior executive engineer Stephen Lahiffe told councillors some of Councillor Slattery’s criticism was fair and unfair.
Mr Lahiffe noted an appointment of a contractor to upgrade the railings along the promenade was imminent.
He recalled the provision of a car park near Seaworld, which was completed by the council, was funded with money from the sale of the old toilets.
Commenting on the regulation of business on the promenade, he noted the council was planning to introduce new bylaws regulating the congregation of surfers, which was being delayed due to a land ownership issue between the council and Seaworld but should be in place for the summer.
If the council had known about the councillors’ concerns, he pointed out the authority could have arranged for a presentation outlining their long-term plans at the meeting. He said the council hoped to bring some of its development plans for the promenade into fruition this year.
It was decided that a council official would provide a progress report on the council’s promenade masterplan at the next electoral area meeting.
Mr Lahiffe did point out the council had put the provision of new railings out to tender.