A community group in West Clare is calling for the council to expedite works to restore two vital water structures that were swept away during stormy conditions.
A culvert on Annageeragh River at Lough Donnell was demolished in storms in 2007, while seven years later, the road leading to the beach at Clohaninchy Lower was damaged, leaving a dangerous 20ft drop.
Clare County Council have confirmed that funding has been secured to restore the collapsed culvert and work on this is expected to begin in late Summer / early Autumn.
While Chair of the Clohaninchy Action Group, Michael Neenan welcomes this development, he’s urging the council to speed up the timeline for delivery of the works.
Statement from Seán Lenihan, Senior Engineer, Clare County Council:
‘There are two distinct elements to the query, namely the culvert works at Lough Donnell and the damage caused by erosion to the roadway leading to same from the Quilty side. Firstly, I wish to confirm that Clare County Council has funding in place for the restoration of the collapsed culvert. The scheme is shortly to be submitted for Part VIII Planning Approval and assuming a favourable decision, we would expect to be in a position to carry out the works in late Summer/early Autumn.
The second issue isn’t quite so clear. It should be noted that the particularly poor section of road to the north of Lough Donnell is a private road and therefore not the responsibility of Clare County Council. However, with landowner agreement and subject to the availability of funding, we may be able to strengthen some of the affected road as part of the proposed culvert repair works. I will discuss the matter with the District Engineer and advise the relevant landowners of possible solutions that may improve the current situation.’
