This article is from page 6 of the 2011-08-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
CLARE County Council has been forced to spend almost € 192,000 on security at one Traveller accommodation site in Ennis over the past 12 months.
Security personnel have been engaged by the council at the Beechpark site on the outskirts of Ennis since units there were destroyed by arson and other forms of vandalism last April (2010).
In a statement, Fiona Mooney of the council’s housing department explained, “The council has security personnel engaged at the Beechpark development.”
“This weekly cost is € 3,000. The security will be withdrawn upon the installation of a CCTV system in September. The CCTV system will be funded by the Department of the Environment.”
According to information given by the council in response to questions from The Clare People , there have been eight incidents of vandalism and damage at Traveller accommodation units in Clare in the past 12 months.
Ms Mooney explained, “Four houses and four service bays have been damaged. The most serious occurred in early July when a house at St Michael’s Park, Ballymaley, was de- stroyed by fire in an arson attack. The council is liaising with the gardaí. The council’s insurers are currently estimating the level of damage and loss in respect of this attack.”
According to the statement, the cost of repairs resulting from damage and vandalism in the last 12 months is € 88,800. A total of € 24,631 of this sum was funded by the Department of the Environment.
Ms Mooney stated that the council, through the Local Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee in the first instance, is in the process of the mid-term review of the adopted Traveller Accommodation Programme 2009-20013.
She added, “The issues of damage and vandalism to Traveller accommodation built by the council under the earlier and current accommodation programmes are under discussion as part of that review.”