Tag Archives: Springfield

RESIDENTS in South-East Clare have no flood insurance for their home for the last five years after it was cancelled by an insurance company. In an interview with the Clare Champion, Geraldine Quinlivan recalled in March 2016 their insurance company sent them their renewal notice with a highlighted pen, confirming they were no longer covering them for flood risk for their dwelling in Springfield, Clonlara. She also confirmed the company didn’t telephone them to discuss this issue before their flood insurance was cancelled. The company still provides general house insurance. “It is an added strain because you no longer have a safety net of thinking if the house gets damaged I will be able to repair it when you see flood water approaching your house.” She pointed out flood-hit residents in other areas had requested insurance companies to reinstate flood cover following the provision of protection works. “Flooding has a devastating impact on all of the community. People are affected …

CONSTRUCTION of the Springfield Flood Relief Scheme is to begin next month, with a formal launch to take place this Friday, July 30 in Clonlara. The scheme will provide protection for 18 properties in the area, and involves the construction of a flood protection embankment, land raising, penstock/sluice, pump station and associated works at the townlands of Springfield, Cappavilla North, Cottage and Illaunyregan, Clonlara. Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey described the news as “a relief for local residents” following decades of disruption caused by severe winter flooding. “Residents have been affected by regular instances of flooding in Clonlara on several occasions, stretching back to 1995 and more recently in 2009, 2016 and 2020,” he said. “Having been through multiple flooding events, which has had a devastating impact on their lives and on their homes, it is a relief for local residents that construction is due to begin.” The Office of Public Works (OPW), Clare County Council and Byrne Looby …

FLOOD relief works that were due to begin in Springfield, Clonlara next week, have hit yet another hitch, it was revealed to council members last Monday (May 10). The matter was raised by Councillor Michael Begley who ask officials for the revised completion date for the works, which were first mooted in 2016. The works, which are designed to finally remove the risk of severe flooding that has hung over the area for more than a decade-and-a-half, had already been dealt a blow by pandemic restrictions. There had been widespread relief at the prospect of them finally getting underway. “We’re now waiting for two reports,” Councillor Begley noted, at the monthly meeting of Clare County Council. “One of those is from the hydrologists and the other will come from the consultants thereafter.” Chief Executive Pat Dowling noted that the latest obstacle to the works is “quite new”. “A particular matter has arisen,” he said “We have to await the outcome. …

A GOVERNMENT minister has pledged that the construction of a new €1.3 million flood relief scheme on the outskirts of Clonlara will ensure scenes of flooded homes will “become a thing of the past”. Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Patrick O’Donovan, has welcomed the approval of planning permission by An Bord Pleanála for the proposed flood relief scheme in Springfield, Clonlara. The scheme will involve the construction of a flood protection embankment, land raising, penstock / sluice, pump station and associated works at the townland and surrounding areas of Springfield. The project will protect 18 residential properties and will cost in the region of €1.3 million to build. “I think everybody who has followed coverage of flooding events over the past few years will recall the scenes of flooded homes and distressed residents trying to deal with the aftermath of significant flooding in Springfield/Clonlara. “Now that An Bord Pleanála has approved planning permission for …

A 25-YEAR campaign by flood-hit residents in South-East Clare has finally reaped dividends after An Bord Pleanála gave the green light to the construction of a €1.2 million flood protection embankment. Springfield resident, Geraldine Quinlivan has praised the dogged determination of the local community for securing the long-awaited flood protection works. This South-East Clare rural community has been hit by flooding in 1995, 2002, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2018 and in February 2020 when families had to be evacuated from their homes after their access road became impassable. More than 7,000 sandbags and pumping stations were delivered to houses in the locality as part of a flood management plan implemented by Clare County Council to assist other locals in the battle to keep water from entering their premises. Speaking to the Clare Champion on Wednesday, Ms Quinlivan said residents were delighted with the latest ruling from the appeals’ board after decades of lobbying. She hopes that no one will lodge a …

FLOOD-hit residents in South-East Clare are “living in hell” and are “living in fear” of more flooding, a local Dáil deputy has claimed. The devastation caused to several households and farmlands in Springfield, Clonlara was highlighted in the Dáil this week by Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne when she presented a case for the establishment of one single body to manage the River Shannon. Commenting on the River Shannon Management Agency Bill, Deputy Wynne warned flooding is becoming too regular and must be tackled with timely action rather than “more kicking the can further down the road”. Last February, she recalled several households and farmlands were destroyed or severely impacted due to flooding in South-East Clare. “One man in Clonlara was quoted as saying “I am living in hell”. For him it has become a very common life event. While many people have commented on the ways we can tackle flooding along the River Shannon, I believe that one of the most …

DISAPPOINTMENT has been expressed in Springfield, Clonlara, after a further delay with relief works designed to save residents from a repeat of devastating flooding that has forced them out of their homes multiple times over the last 15 years. Planning for flood protection works began in early 2016, after more than 10 families had to evacuate their properties and a further five had their access roads completely cut off. Since then, the proposed €1.2 million works have hit a number of hurdles, and it has now been confirmed that rather than going through an internal local authority adjudication process, the plans will now go to An Bord Pleanála. Senior Engineer with Clare County Council, Seán Lenihan told authority members this month that the nature of the works could not be contained, as had been anticipated, within a Part Eight application. “They require an EIAR (Environmental Impact Assessment Report) and an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement),” he explained, adding that the application …

LIVING with the constant threat of her home being flooded had worn down Brigid Kinsella by Monday afternoon. A widow, she lives with her three sons at Springfield. Hundreds of sandbags are placed all around their home and she says she would now like to move away from the area, so disillusioned is she. On Saturday night the area around her house was underwater, with the floods coming right up to the sandbags, which were the families last hope of keeping their home dry. “For two weeks basically we’ve had no sleep in this house. I have three sons going to college, one of them in his last year. I went to bed last night (Sunday) and I said if it comes in I really don’t care, I can’t go another night without sleep. It actually had receded a lot down here this morning. It was so bad that my son sent an email to the council to know about …