The newly-formed “Save Ennis Town” group is asking councillors to vote against any motion that transfers land and power to Ennis 2040 DAC until plans are revised.
The group, which is made up of community, business, retail and political representatives, has drafted an open letter to councillors stating its opposition to the Ennis 2040 plan.
The Save Ennis Town group was formed after a public meeting in the Temple Gate Hotel on the 4th of May, which was attended by over 200 people who voiced their concerns over the Ennis 2040 plan.
In an open letter addressed to Clare county councillors, the group is now expressing its opposition to a number of aspects of the Ennis 2040 plan.
Specifically, the group says it has “major concerns” about proposals for the development of multi-storey commercial buildings on the existing Abbey Street and Parnell Street car parks.
John O’Connor of Custy’s Music Shop says that any reduction in parking in Ennis would be detrimental to business in the town and that elected councillors must represent the interests of local people who will be affected by the plans.
Clare County Council’s Director of Economic Development Carmel Kirby has said that there is currently one parking space for every 13 people living in Ennis compared to one in 24 in Navan and one in 29 in Waterford City.
In addition, the local authority has confirmed that it plans to increase public parking spaces from 2,923 to 3,000 by the end of this year.
However, Save Ennis Town’s open letter states that with the removal of a further 200 spaces as is outlined in the Ennis 2040 plan, accessibility in the town would become a serious problem.
Michelle O’Connell of O’Connell’s Medical Hall said that the plan appears to be more geared towards a city like New York than a town like Ennis.
Among the group’s other concerns are the loss of approximately €300,000 a year of parking revenue from the Abbey Street car park, the desecration of the town’s medieval architecture and the loss of the two car parks as amenity spaces.
The letter calls on councillors to vote against giving Ennis 2040 DAC any additional land or power until such time as plans are revised and a focus is placed on regenerating vacant and derelict sites instead of building commercial developments on existing car parks.
Save Ennis Town chair Gearoid Mannion said consultation is key and insists that lessons must be learned from the development of the Market carpark.
You can listen to the full interview here:
