This article is from page 32 of the 2007-04-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 32 JPG
FURTHER consultation between residents and Clare County Council will be required before Clarecastle will have its playground.
Residents are again to be consulted in order to identify the most accept- able site for the construction of a playground.
Opposition still exists to two sites – the People’s Park and Church Drive – identified in a surveyors report.
An area to the rear of Madden’s Terrace was also ruled out due its proximity to the river.
The April meeting of councillors in the Ennis Electoral Area also heard no land available either side of a sec-
tion of the N18 bypass.
Describing the exhaustive debate Cllr Peter Considine (FF) said “*“We are smothered with consultation. Ye’re playing out half and flyhalf with this, passing the buck”.
Catherine Early, Clare County Council, outlined to members the concerns of residents.
She said, “We have been told there is no NRA land available near the bypass. Any unused land would be sold back with the first offer going to people who previously owned the land. The north side we have been told is a flood plain, the south side is a water course. Towards the left there is no land available. Regarding the People’s Playground there seems
to be problems regarding access and the height of the adjacent wall. There are issues of safety and public liabil- ity. We were told that there is a cer- tain level of harassment when people VEstoam A bom O)-0 8 Oe
The secluded location of the Park was identified as another safety con- cern. Local councillor Bernard Han- rahan (FF) stated residents would be opposed to siting the playground in a green area near Church Drive.
“That is the only green space in that area. I wouldn’t be in favour of it. It’s used now by kids to play hurl- ing and football. If it that was built up it would lead to people congregat- ing there and noise”’.
Fellow Clarecastle councillor Joe
Carey (FG) suggested the compila- tion of a list of all publicly owned sites in the area.
Councillor Brian Meaney (GP) said, “Church Drive could be progressed through siting and design and good consultation with the neighbour- hood”.
Cllr Peter Considine (FEF) said. ‘There has to be visibility and com- promise. People will always find problems. If the wall is the only problem that is easily got rid of”.
Town Manager Tom Coughlan called for a timetable to be estab- lished and for one of the proposals to be put forward for public consul- tation under the Part VIII planning DEO TE