Lobby group chairman hopeful boundary will not change

THE chairman of a group opposing the recommended extension of Limerick City’s boundary into South-East Clare is hopeful the status quo will remain.
Clare Against the Boundary Extension (CABE) chairman, Jim Gully, has warned the group will stage further public demonstrations if Environment Minister Phil Hogan implements all of the recommendations in the Limerick Local Government Report.
Having received assurances from Clare deputies, Pat Breen, Joe Carey and Michael McNamara that the Clare boundary should remain intact, Mr Gully is hopeful Minister Hogan will not transfer over 3,000 people from Shannon Banks, Westbury and parts of Clonlara into Limerick City.
The former Clonlara senior hurling manager told The Clare Champion that Deputy Carey said he felt he got a good hearing from the minister when he outlined the opposition in the county in the Dáil recently.
CABE recently wrote a letter to the minister seeking a meeting to outline their opposition to a change in the Clare boundary. The minister’s secretary stated in an official reply that he had passed on the group’s request to the minister and noted the minister is aware of the group’s difficulty with the recommendations in the report.
Mr Gully confirmed the group is now adopting a “wait and see” approach before making any further decisions.
“People in South-East Clare have been waiting for a final decision on the boundary extension issue for the last 14 or 15 years. We were told last September a decision would be made by the last Government in October. Last month, we were told that a decision would be made at the end of June.
“Hopefully, there will be no change to the Clare boundary. Minister Hogan is a Kilkenny man who is aware of similar issues with Waterford City trying to encroach on the Kilkenny boundary.
“When a decision is made I hope to be in the Dáil public gallery that day. Limerick City Council want a boundary extension but don’t want a single local authority governing Limerick City and County, which seems to be where the main difficulty lies,” he said. 
Minister Hogan  recently stated he was keeping an “open mind” on the controversial  transfer of over 3,000 people from South-East Clare into a new Limerick City.
Speaking in the Dáil, Minister Hogan recalled the Brosnan Report had recommended that areas like Westbury, Shannon Banks and the northern bank of the University of Limerick campus, which he described as “de facto part of the urban fabric of Limerick City”, should become part of the city.