Tourism chief backs inflatable aqua park plan for Clare

THE acting head of tourism in Clare is supporting the proposed development of an inflatable aqua park at a popular Ogonnelloe amenity area, writes Dan Danaher.

West Lake Aqua Park has lodged a planning application with Clare County Council seeking permission for a new aqua park that will operate seasonally from May 1 to September 30 at Twomilegate, Ballycuggeran, which is situated a few miles from Killaloe.

The aqua park will consist of an inflatable floating obstacle course, floating access pontoon, 20 foot container for check-in and 40 foot container for changing facilities including all associated works at Twomilegate.

In a letter to the planning department, acting head of tourism, Deirdre O’Shea outlined this project will provide a new and dynamic tourism product in East Clare.

It will, in turn, provide social and economic benefits to the region and to the local community in line with the Clare Tourism Strategy 2030, the Lough Derg Blueway brand criteria, the Shannon Tourism Masterplan and the Lough Derg Visitor Experience Development Plan.

This development is also supported by Waterways Ireland western regional manager, Eanna Rowe, who described West Lake Aqua Park as a new and innovative business that will service the local community, visitors to Killaloe, Lough Derg and the River Shannon.

In a submission to the local planning authority, Mr Rowe predicted this business will also provide an economic and social dividend to the local and regional economies, providing employment directly through its operation and indirectly through the utilisation of ancillary and supporting services.

“On a strategic level and from a tourism perspective, the application is referenced by a collective approach to developing strategic interventions and quality product offerings.

“Such product offerings are highlighted in the recently published Shannon Tourism Masterplan. The vision of the masterplan is to harness the full potential of the Shannon and its hinterland to create a thriving visitor economy.”

“Coupled with the formulation of the Masterplan, the Lough Derg Visitor Experience Development Plan (VEDP) has also recently been formulated and agreed and the VEDP provides a framework for project level interventions and improvements.”

He pointed out Killaloe has been identified in both strategies as a tourism destination in its own right and also as a tourism gateway to both Lough Derg and the wider Shannon.

Similarly, the need to encourage and stimulate water and waterside opportunities has been strongly referenced and identified in both plans.

Mr Lowe pointed out the collaboration an ongoing commitment of state agencies, the local authority sector, local businesses and the local community along with Waterways Ireland will lead to the realisation of the vision and the ambition of the Shannon Masterplan and Lough Derg VEDP.

“The proposal from West Lake Aqua Park is one such example of that collaboration and in our view will act as an attractor to the town, with an increase in visitor spend and dwell time in turn benefiting the local community.

“All in Waterways Ireland are extremely supportive of the proposals and have approved a licence to West Lake Aqua Park to operate at Ballycuggeran.”

A Traffic and Transportation Assessment submitted to the planning authority by Punch Consulting Engineers confirmed the aqua park will be accessed by the existing car parks at Ballycuggeran.

The assessment noted there was one serious accident in 2014 north of the proposed site. However, it pointed out the site is not located in an accident blackspot.

“The number of trips generated by the proposed site indicate the proposed development will have negligible impact on the safety and capacity of the existing car park or surrounding road network.

“Capacity analysis was carried out on the existing car parks. The analysis shows that there is sufficient capacity for the proposed development traffic.

“The site can be accessed by multiple sustainable modes of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport, thus ensuring the future sustainability of the development.”

In a submission to the council, Enda Colleran of Environmental Planning Consultants confirmed an inspection of the existing on-site waste water treatment system was completed on November 19, 2021.

Mr Colleran outlined the septic tank appears to be in good working order and well maintained.

There were no objectionable odours in the immediate vicinity of the septic tank and ponding or vegetative indicators of retarded percolation were not noted.

“The location of the septic tank meets all minimum separation distances outlined in the 2021 EPA Code of Practice.

“It is proposed that the customers and staff of the proposed aqua park will use the existing toilet facilities on site, which are owned and maintained by Clare County Council.

“These toilet facilities are located at the building beside the proposed check in area. In addition to the toilet facilities, the council installed four self-contained portaloos for the 2021 summer season and it is proposed that the same number of portaloos will be on site again in 2022.

“These portaloos are independent of the existing wastewater treatment system and are serviced weekly by Walsh Waste.

“It is understood that an upgrade to the existing wastewater treatment system is planned to be completed during 202.

“Given that the proposed aqua park is not a year round facility and is only seasonal, the existing system and the use portaloos will be adequate for the loadings arising from the aqua park until the upgrade is completed,” the report concluded.