An East Clare Councillor says towns and villages are dying on their feet due to a lack of development.
It comes as Clare County Council is reassuring that work is progressing on a major regeneration of Scariff.
Scariff is identified as a service town as part of the County Development Plan and the local authority says development of the area is a clear objective of the Council, Councillors, local business people and the community.
More than half a million euro was allocated to Clare County Council last January under the Government’s Rural Regeneration and Development Fund to proceed with the design and planning stages.
A three-pronged approach is being taken towards regeneration of the town including the development of a town car park, a new public realm in the market square and a multi-service centre hub.
Senior Executive Officer of the Killaloe Municipal District, Morgan Lahiffe says progress is being made in moving towards the shovel-ready phase.
One local Councillor admits that while a lot of headway is being made in the town, vacant houses remain an issue.
Under the Government’s Housing For All plan, grants of between 30,000 and 50,000 euro can be accessed by first time buyers in order to support the refurbishment of empty homes.
Fine Gael’s Joe Cooney believes this could be key to solving the problem.
The Cathaoirleach of Killaloe Municipal District says towns and villages are “dying on their feet” due to developments on the periphery.
Fianna Fáil Councillor Alan O’Callaghan admits addressing derelict houses will be a long process, but insists the local authority and local representatives are working on it.
