Road plans controversy in Mullagh

CLARE County Council has been accused of putting a “gun to the head” of Mullagh residents over controversial plans to resurface the road in the village.
About 200 metres in the centre of Mullagh village has been left without any resurfacing works following works to facilitate the €8m Quilty/Mullagh Sewerage Scheme as the council tries to tackle what has proven to be a very difficult engineering problem.
Resident Tony Garfield, who is an engineer, has claimed the county council had effectively held a “gun to the head” of residents over its insistence there was no alternative to the current proposals.
However, Clare County Council senior engineer Tom Tiernan said the council has engaged with residents in Mullagh to resolve the road issue in the village for over two years. “It is important to note that any works to be carried out must comply with present-day design requirements and must take account of the health and safety of all prospective users of the finished scheme – be they motorists or pedestrians,” he said.
Mr Garfield claimed residents proposed a different solution following a Kilrush Electoral Area meeting held in Mullagh, which discussed the problem but this was apparently rejected by the council.
“There was only one proposal put forward by the council and if we didn’t agree, we were told that funding would be lost. We felt the council held a gun to our heads because we either accepted their proposal or we would get nothing. We felt at the time it was a ‘fait accompli’.
“The other alternative is to reduce the height of the road but it seems the council wants to take the cheap option by just surface dressing the road. About two years ago, the council brought in a new sewerage system for the village, which was welcome. However, it blocked a storm drain outside my house and has caused difficulties for me,” he said.
It has been suggested the council is reluctant to remove too much of the existing road because it could burst old asbestos pipes laid in clay, believed to be about 40 years old. These water pipes have already burst twice in recent years to the west of the Main Street. 
The footpath on the northern side of the village is about six to eight inches lower than the road but the southern side is more akin to the traditional footpath, which is about four inches higher than the road. The council is planning to surface dress the road and put a small wall and railing on the northern side, which has been opposed by some residents, who argued it would restrict access for elderly residents. If a railing was acceptable, householders believe it should be located on the southern side, where the footpath is much wider. Mr Garfield said householders had suggested the council should plane down the camber of the road on one side at least, which he felt would have been an acceptable solution to the problem.  
Having taken the road levels, he claimed that the proposal put forward by residents would not exceed the maximum permitted drop in levels.
Kathleen Hough has claimed her elderly father would have to park his car near the church and walk back home if the council proceeded with its initial plan to go ahead with the railing near his home. “Residents suggested the council should lower the road in the centre of the village to its existing level but it seems the council is not prepared to do this. We got the feeling it might come down to the cost of planning the road.
“If a wall or railing was put up, it would mean residents would be ‘fenced’ in at one side of the road. It would also close in the village by narrowing the road, which takes a lot of traffic during the summer, particularly farm machinery.
“My father can’t drive down into his local garage with his car. Having raised the issue at a recent electoral area meeting, I was told that regardless of what work the council was doing, it would have to dig up the road,” she said.
The council has signalled its intention to reconstruct the road, church car park and ancillary works at Mullagh village in an application lodged with the local planning authority.
The purpose of these works is to address the level discrepancy between the road and footpath on the north side of Mullagh village and to carry out road reconstruction and ancillary items.
A notice of the proposed development under Part Eight of the Planning and Development Act 2000 was erected by the council on March 22 last.
Submissions or observations concerning the proposed development may be made in writing to the senior executive officer, planning, Clare County Council, New Road, Ennis before or including May 21 next.
Senior engineer Tom Tiernan explained, “Various meetings have been held in that time, including a Kilrush Electoral Area meeting last year where residents met local councillors to put forward their concerns. Where the council felt any proposals put forward by residents were impractical or not in accordance with design standards, this was explained to them.
“All observations submitted within the designated period as part of the Part Eight process will be considered in detail before conclusions are reached in respect of the application.
Councillor Christy Curtin said he would like to see the work completed with minimum inconvenience to residents.