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Tag Archives: West Clare Municipal District

West Clare councillors demand clarity on population growth targets

ANGER has been expressed by West Clare councillors over national planning policies which they fear will stifle population growth. Tabling a joint motion at the recent municipal district meeting, Councillors Cillian Murphy, Ian Lynch, Shane Talty and Joe Garrihy sought details of population growth targets under the forthcoming County Development Plan. All voiced frustration at the reply, which was described as “a non-response”. “We’ve been briefed on now the new plan will have to tie in with the regional spatial strategy and so we’re now looking for clarity on the population allocation for West Clare,” Councillor Murphy said. “It’s kind of mind-boggling that any national policy would restrict any county’s ambition to develop. We are the district most likely to be affected if Ennis gets city status. That puts the development focus on the Limerick-Shannon-Ennis corridor. We have to question where we will get a chance to be ambitious for the growth of our area.” Councillor Lynch described as “a …

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Concerns continue over main arterial route to West Clare

A FIVE-YEAR programme to address the condition of one of West Clare’s main arterial routes has been called for, amid ongoing concerns at changes to speed limits on the N68. Reductions at a number of points on the road from Kilrush to Ennis were introduced in 2019, meaning there are 11 different speed zones on the route. At the West Clare Municipal District meeting last week, these concerns prompted a Kilrush-based councillor to consider voting against the Schedule of Municipal District Works. The programme was unveiled by Senior Engineer, John Leahy and described by Director of Services Leonard Cleary as “a very, very good result for West Clare”. There was a welcome, generally, for the fact that €34.5 million has been allocated for the county, but Councillor Ian Lynch said that the condition of the N68 from Kilrush to Ennis caused him to think twice before giving his backing to the schedule of works. The Independent councillor thanked Mr Leahy …

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Concerns raised over possible de-zoning of council land

THE risk that some lands owned by council could drop substantially in value, because of new national planning policies, has been flagged by a member of the West Clare Municipal District. Councillor Cillian Murphy told a meeting of the district committee that huge opportunity presented by the pandemic to bring people back to rural Clare could be lost if lands have to be zoned under the terms of the National Planning Framework (NPF), which will shape the forthcoming county development plan. The Fianna Fáil member asked the authority for details of all lands owned by the local authority and details of their zoning, whether residential, industrial or residential. “The impetus for this,” he explained, “is that we need to look at what lands the council owns in the context of the NPF. There is a huge drive from government to deliver affordable housing and a huge opportunity because of the pandemic, for people to live and work in rural Ireland.” …

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Irish Water ‘slams the door’ on rural West Clare

ANGER and frustration have been expressed by West Clare councillors after Irish Water told them it has no plans to develop sewerage schemes for the villages of Cooraclare or Carrigaholt. At most recent district committee meeting, several members described the negative response from the water utility as “nonsense,” while another said it had left him speechless. Both Councillor Bill Chambers and Councillor Gabriel Keating had made requests for pilot schemes to provide waste water treatment works in their respective areas, noting that such initiatives had been outlined in the Programme for Government. In two identical responses Irish Water said it “has no statutory role where there is currently no infrastructure”. It advised councillors to direct the queries to the local authority or the government. Irate councillors then agreed to request a remote deputation to the relevant minister. “In Cooraclare, we’re waiting for the last 40 years,” said Councillor Chambers. “There’s nearly half a million spent on it already and next …

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No end in sight for Kildysart Cemetery flooding

LAND acquisition issues stand in the way of a long-term solution to flooding at the cemetery at Kildysart, members of the West Clare Municipal District have been told. At the most recent meeting of the district committee, Councillor PJ Kelly tabled a motion calling on the council to draw up a plan to solve the ongoing issue. The council’s official response, however, has cast doubt on the possibility of a solution. A written reply from Steve Lahiffe, Senior Executive Engineer (SEE) at the Project Management Office, outlined how lands required to build an embankment currently stand in the way of a successful outcome. “This is very sad situation,” Councillor Kelly said. “It’s very upsetting for people because the graveyard is prone to flooding. People go there to pay their respects to their relatives and it’s very emotional for people to find that graves are under water. I would like if the council could be more humane and do something to …

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Councillor pledges to tackle Kilrush street lighting extension

A KILRUSH-based councillor is to make efforts to extend street lighting between the Shanakyle Road and St Senan’s Graveyard. Independent member of the West Clare Municipal District, Ian Lynch, tabled a motion calling for the extension and seeking details on options and costs for new lights. “St Senan’s Graveyard Group contacted me to see if they could get the lights extended out about 200 metres,” Councillor Lynch told the January meeting of the district committee. “The isolation that people are experiencing through Covid is prompting many to get some bit of comfort out of visiting the graveyard to see their loved ones. Sometimes people have gotten caught in the evening times, on the short evenings. The group asked me to put in this notice of motion. Pre-empting the response, I was trying to get a feel for the cost of putting up these lights. It’s a motion that’s come up several times throughout the municipal district, especially around schools, and …

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Road works considered for ‘gateway to Doonbeg’

A NUMBER of roads in West Clare are to be considered for inclusion in the schedule of works for this year, following representations to the local district committee. At their most recent meeting, councillors heard an appeal for action on a route described as “the gateway to Doonbeg”. Councillor Gabriel Keating asked that issues with a section of the R484 from Knockalough Crossroads to Kilmihil be addressed as a matter of urgency. “That particular roadway from Knockalough to Doonbeg was on the three-year programme that ends this year,” he said. “It’s in a bad state, there’s no doubt about that. Everybody’s asking me. There’s one really bad bend on the road at Michael Ryan’s and all it needs is something that drivers can see as they approach the bend. Mr Ryan has lost two or three piers and had to replace them himself. This road is the gateway to Doonbeg and to facilities like the golf club and it’s a …

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Safety works for Cranny Cross

A DANGEROUS stretch of road in West Clare will be upgraded, members of the local municipal district have been told. Following a number of serious accidents and representations by public representatives, a junction known as Cranny Cross, has been identified as in need of safety improvement works. The matter was raised by Councillor PJ Kelly at the most recent meeting of the West Clare Municipal District, when he called on Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Clare County Council to address the issues at the junction of the N68 and L2138. “This is a high-risk area,” he said, “and there’s an average of one accident a year there. One accident has been fatal and another has left a person invalided for life. There is a solution, a local farmer is prepared to cooperate to get this work done.” Councillor Kelly welcomed the reply from Senior Executive Engineer John Gannon who said TII’s Road safety inspection programme (HD17) had identified that the …

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