CLARE County Council is “putting safety first” by repairing public lighting at an Ennis housing estate.
Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection Pat Breen has supported the local authority’s decision to repair the public lighting in the Mayard Estate on the Lahinch Road.
“The lighting has been an ongoing issue for the residents in the estate, complicated somewhat by the ongoing process to have the estate taken in charge by Clare County Council,” said Deputy Breen.
“Having worked with the residents of Mayard, which is part of the Shanballa Housing Development, I am only too aware of their concerns regarding the lack of public lighting, particularly with the onset of darker evenings as winter approaches.
“I am delighted to receive notification that the local authority is putting safety first in this matter and have repaired the lights. It is now writing to the bondholders to advise that in the interest of public safety, it has carried out the once-off repair to the public lights.
“Clare County Council will be seeking full reimbursement from the bondholders for the cost of the repairs, as its first claim on the bond.
“In July, the council moved to make a claim on the bond with a view to taking over this estate and negotiations with the bondholders are ongoing. Subject to a satisfactory outcome, the available bond money will be applied to the outstanding work needed to complete the development of the estate to an acceptable standard for the council’s taking-in-charge process,” added the Clare deputy.
“While the developer/landowner remains responsible for all outstanding issues within this development until it is taken over, the lights have been repaired by the council and the cost will be claimed back through the bond,” he added.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.