Tag Archives: Killaloe Municipal District

VEGETATION encroaching on a number of roads in East Clare has resulted in drivers losing wing mirrors and windscreens, a meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District has heard. The topic was raised by Councillor Pat Burke who described it as “a famous item” as it is comes up so often. “Many landowners do great work, but there are still sections of our roads where they don’t,” he said. “In this day and age, people deserve better, particularly drivers of HGVs. The problem hasn’t gone away. “The council are doing their bit and lots of landowners do good work. Some respond to letters from the Municipal District office, but others don’t. It’s a major problem. “Last Saturday, a lorry driver broke a mirror. In this day and age, it’s not good enough. Driving a car is no problem, but if you’re in a lorry or a tractor, mirrors are at risk. It’s awful to think you have to keep out to …

ONGOING concerns about the condition of the main road from Ennis through East Clare have been highlighted by Councillor Alan O’Callaghan. He told the November meeting of the Killaloe district committee of a bad dip on the R352 close to Henchy’s Cross where larger vehicles are experiencing problems. “The location is just as you’re coming from Clooney towards Henchy’s junction on the regional road,” he said. “There’s a section where the road is narrow with a dip and a jump. I first noticed when I saw a man in front of me with jeep and trailer. There was no speed involved. The trailer jumped a fine height into air. “Maybe the road has gone down a bit. It’s not on any works programme. Can something be done sooner rather than later? This is a busy thoroughfare from Scariff to Ennis, with lots of HGVs and agricultural vehicles using it. There’s a fine jolt off it when you hit it at …

A CONCERTED campaign is being sought to tackle a junction on the main artery into East Clare, where people are “putting their lives at risk”. Several members of the Killaloe Municipal District issued stark warnings about the situation at Henchy’s Cross on the R352. The intersection is one of the preferred routes for traffic coming from the mart in Ennis and Shannon Airport onto the busy regional road. At the November meeting of the district, Councillor Pat Hayes appealed to the Killaloe director to make a case for major safety works. Efforts have been ongoing to secure funding from the Department of Transport for a major €2m scheme. To date, this has not been approved and the meeting heard that interim safety works are expected to begin next year. A frustrated Councillor Hayes said there had been several accidents at the junction and he did not want to see fatalities happen. “I’m calling on our Director of Services to take …

OVER the past seven years, €1.5 million has been invested in the Killaloe Municipal District, thanks to revenues raised through the Local Property Tax (LPT). The funding, which is distributed through the General Municipal Allocation (GMA) to council members for allocation in the draft budgetary plan, was widely welcomed at the district meeting last week. Members were told that funding, distributed through the GMA, has supported a range of significant infrastructural projects across the Killaloe district since 2014. At the outset of the meeting, members were told the recommendation of the council’s executive was to leave the 2022 GMA at the same level as for 2021. Cathaoirleach of the district, Councillor Joe Cooney proposed the adoption of the GMA at the existing level. “The GMA is vital for the funding of all of the municipal districts of the county,” he said. “A lot has been achieved in the Killaloe area with the GMA over last few years. In rural parts …

THE council’s director of housing has issued an assurance that turning around vacant local authority housing is a top priority.  Anne Haugh made her comments following concerns raised by Councillor Pat Burke over two properties in Whitegate that have been vacant for up to 12 months. Councillor Burke told the November meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District that frustration over the delay in getting new tenants in, in the middle of a housing crisis, had prompted him to table the motion.  “We are all aware of the housing crisis,” he said. “It seems the process is so slow if a house can remain vacant for 12 months. I understand that there are energy retrofit schemes and that type of thing undertaken, but 12 months to leave a house vacant when we’re in a housing crisis drove me to put down the motion. This is not particularly anyone’s fault, but I’m wondering if the delay is down to funding or the …

A DANGEROUS building in Tulla is to be made safe by Clare County Council, after the owner failed to comply with several requests for action to address the situation. There have been a number of false dawns in terms of works on the vacant building on Main Street, with numerous efforts made by the local authority to communicate with the owner and to get them to make the building safe. Since a Dangerous Structures Notice was issued five months ago, the footpath has been closed and disruption caused to vehicular as well as pedestrian traffic in the town. Last week, the Council moved to inform members of the Killaloe Municipal District that it is to carry out the works and that a contactor has been procured. Councillors were told that while multiple opportunities were given to the owner, no works had materialised. An exact date for the beginning of the works has not been confirmed. The Council has previously said …

SAFETY works are being sought in South East Clare where a busy summer of staycations has brought record visitor numbers to the area. Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Joe Cooney welcomed the boost to the local economy and commended everyone involved in developing amenities in areas around Ogonnelloe, Ballycuggeran and Two-Mile Gate. However, he repeated an appeal to Clare County Council for safety and traffic management works to facilitate locals and visitors alike. “It’s really important that traffic calming goes into Ogonnelloe,” the Fine Gael member said “We are all aware that this is a long, drawn-out village and with the Killaloe Bypass and bridge crossing set to come on stream, where will be additional traffic travelling through Ogonnelloe. It’s vitally important, going forward, that traffic calming goes in.” The chairperson also noted the ongoing work of volunteers in Ogonnelloe. “There is a very active community council in the village,” he said. “They’ve done wonderful work and they …

WORKS which are due to begin in Clooney in the coming weeks “will put the village on the map on the main road from Ennis to Portumna”, in the words of the Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District. Councillor Joe Cooney said that, thanks to an allocation under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the village, which has a very active development association, would soon see a major boost to its infrastructure. A contractor has just been appointed and work on a new footpath/cycleway as well as public realm infrastructure and a pedestrian crossing are set to get underway in the coming days. “ML & S Boldand Civil Engineering Ltd will be working to complete the works within three months,” the Fine Gael member said. “It’s fantastic news for Clooney and the Clooney-Spancilhill Community Development Group deserve a huge amount of credit as do the council staff and councillors who have worked so hard to progress the issue. The work …