Clare County Council spent over €8m to acquire two separate sites at the Cliffs Of Moher in 2023.
The revelation is included in the ‘Statutory Audit Report to the Members of Clare County Council for 2023′.
The report says the purchases were supported by independent valuations which were based on a “special interest” to the council and therefore constituted paying a higher than market value.
The auditors confirmed that at the time of the report, there were still issues regarding planning and right of way with the lands in question, which had not been resolved.
Clare County Council has told Clare FM that it’s not in a position to release further details of “this commercially sensitive purchase.”
Statement from Clare County Council
“The Cliffs of Moher is the largest natural attraction in Ireland recording 1.3 million visitors to the Cliffs of Moher Experience in 2023. It is a major economic driver of tourism in Ireland, including the West of Ireland and locally in County Clare. It supports jobs, airports, and enterprise within an economic framework that dovetails with sustainable development goals.
To address the environmental heritage and strategic infrastructure needs of the Cliffs of Moher, Clare County Council assigned a team of staff and appointed specialist technical consultants to develop a widely consulted Cliffs of Moher Strategy which presents a long-term vision for the sustainable development of this world class natural environmental heritage site and visitor attraction over the next 20 years. Contained in its masterplan are adjacent lands necessary for the future development of the site. The Cliffs of Moher site needs additional lands for expansion of pathways, safe coastal walk access, on-site infrastructure and some additional buildings/facilities for the carrying capacity and requirement to distribute visitors.
The sum referred to in the Statutory Audit Report to the Members of Clare County Council for the Year Ending 31 December 2023 was for the accumulated costs associated with lands purchased at key locations adjacent to the Cliffs of Moher Experience, including prime coastal land.
The purchase of these lands was supported by two independent valuations, and their expert advice received and relied upon. Clare County Council is not in a position to release further details of this commercially sensitive purchase.
The Cliffs of Moher Experience is projected to generate an income of €36million from visitor spend and support over 900 tourism jobs and generate over €8 million in tax revenue.”
