The construction of a long-awaited inner relief road in Ennis is expected to pave the way for “hundreds” of new homes.
Clare County Council has confirmed that the proposed route connecting the Tulla Road and Gort Road remains on the agenda and is intended to be delivered within the next decade.
A 520-metre stretch of the planned Ennis Northern Inner Relief Road link in the townland of Dulick was unveiled in May 2018.
The road, which connects the Gort Road to the Ennis Information Age Park Building and the Clare Technology Park, was intended to be the first phase of the overall plan to build a link to the Tulla Road.
Eight years on, the county town is no closer to seeing this project come to fruition, prompting Fianna Fáil councillors Clare Colleran-Molloy, Tom O’Callaghan and Antoinette Baker-Bashua to seek an update at this week’s Clare County Council meeting.
The local authority has stated that the project is included in the completed Local Transport Plan as well as the upcoming proposed variation to the County Development Plan.
Councillor O’Callaghan says this means it’s guaranteed to get funding.
The council estimates that the overall project delivery time “with favourable timely decisions” would be “of the order of five to eight years”.
It’s also revealed that it’s considering a phased delivery with the section north of ‘The Maples’ towards ‘Clauin Ros Leamháin’ progressed as the first phase, followed by the section to the west including the railway crossing.
This first phase, it says, could be completed in three to five years, while the overall scheme would cost 10 to 15 million euro “at current market rates”.
The progression of the project would give access to 7.5 hectares of zoned residential lands, which could result in the construction of roughly 260 homes.
Councillor Baker-Bashua says it’s a crucial development for this reason alone.
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