A report on motorhome carping was previously completed by consultants for the Council in December 2023.
DEFICITS of motorhome camping facilities in Clare can be tackled to extend the tourism season in the county, county councillors have said.
Proposals were put before the September meeting of Clare County Council on the subject by both Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) and Cllr Joe Killeen (FF). The meeting also heard that work has been undertaken in the space but “the document has just sat there” but that the Council was “actively reviewing” sites in its ownership which may be suitable for motorhome parking.
Strategic development of such facilities “is urgently required ensuring much needed economic growth in alternative tourism is created for our many businesses countywide,” Cllr O’Callaghan stated when asking if the Council were considering camping projects.
In his motion, Cllr Killeen asked the Council “to revisit the overall plan for motor home parking facilities in the county with a view to incentivising the provision of privately-owned parking bays”. He added, “In the absence of private investment, I ask that the Local Authority explore the possibility of providing facilities at various location around the county”.
Director of Tourism Development, Siobhán McNulty acknowledged the “growing demand for suitable motorhome parking facilities” and that “limited availability” was placing “pressure on existing infrastructure”. She said the Council was open to exploring measures to develop motorhome parking solutions and committed to identifying suitable locations. “The Council is actively reviewing sites in its ownership that may be suitable for motorhome parking. At present, there are no formal incentive schemes in place to support private development of motorhome parking facilities.
She stated, “Following the completion of the Campervan Review Report and the Fáilte Ireland-led Accommodation Audit for Clare, a series of webinars were held to incentivise potential private developers to expand alternative accommodation provision across the county. This work is being augmented through the development of a Business Prospectus for Clare, which aims to highlight investment opportunities and position the county as a prime location for accommodation development”.
Motorhome camping offers “a different model to create economic activity which we badly need,” Cllr O’Callaghan said. He noted that current infrastructure in the sphere “is successful” as he named Nagles in Doolin, Strand Camping in Doonbeg, Lakeside Holiday Park in Mountshannon and Corofin Camping Park but that “critical gaps” remain. “Motorhome tourists typically travel out of season, it is crucial we look at short-term actions,” he said. On the economics, he estimated that it could generate €1.75m per year for local villages “which is a game-changer”.
Enterprise, tourism and planning departments must work in tandem with entrepreneurs “to provide the facilities where there is an obvious deficit,” Cllr Killeen said. He cited an ongoing partnership in Portumna between Galway County Council and Waterways Ireland which has twenty parking bays, “it is heavily used and covers the cost of what we need. I have raised before parking in Ballyvaughan on the fishing prom. If we cannot incentivise private industry then the local authority needs to get involved”.
Developing this section of the tourism industry “has come up every year,” Cllr Ian Lynch (IND) observed. “This year has been very busy in West Clare in Kilkee and Lahinch, we did a bit of work on identifying the need and the document has sat there, it is very clear and evident from the amount of people that this has become a growing market, the lack of hotel rooms for several reasons is subsidised by this”. By-laws will need to be enforced, he cautioned, “it has opened a floodgate,” he commented as he referenced how “the whole town of Kilkee was blocked up, we need to look at the by-laws”. Cllr John Crowe (FG) recalled, “I remember this was discussed in the Council before, sites were picked out but it didn’t go further”.
Since 2020 the amount of campervans in Ireland “has multiplied,” Cllr Michael Shannon (FF) noted. “The by-laws were put in place well before 2020 when campervans were far and few between, now we have a constant flow every summer, people trying to come and get space for their RV”. He added, “We could lead the way if we put our minds together and provide the spaces”.
When visiting Cork to drop his daughter to college, Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) said there was not a single space available at a campervan facility looking out at Spike Island. “When I got elected I made a commitment to try make this county better than every other county that I visted, we need to expedite this because we’re missing a trick. We’ve a glorious coastline but nowhere for people to stop and take it in. This should become one of the top two things for the tourism department to have done in the next few months, we’re missing a serious trick and we’re missing out on income”.
Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy and the Feakle Festival demonstrated clearly the volume of people using campervans, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) flagged. “We do a lot for tourism in this county but with the loss of hotel beds in this county and region,” he felt more had to be done.
An amendment to by-laws was carried out in 2021, Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) stated while referencing how vocal he has been on tackling campervans in Lahinch which only has five spaces for motorhomes. He said he has made the Council ware of a site he zoned for tourism in Liscannor which would be suitable instead of having “rusty” vans parking in front of Lahinch Leisure Centre “where we have 1100 members”.
Achill Island was visited by Cllr Conor Ryan (FG) and his partner Ciara in a “caravan” where they went to dog friendly beaches. “There are excellent campervan facilities, the areas which have them reap the rewards, there wasn’t a seat to be got in the local restaurant with the queue out the door and the shop was just as busy”. He said they were unable to book campervan facilities in Lahinch.
GAA grounds and sporting facilities have parking that could be utilised for motorhomes, Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) suggested. “They are closed off for matches but they are left idle most of the time and they do have the services”.
Absence of facilities is leading to a rise in “wild camping,” Cllr Pat Burke (FG) highlighted. “Dromaan Harbour has become a place of anti-social behaviour at weekends particularly Bank Holiday weekends, people come and throw their jet skis behind, they are different people who we are looking for the sites for, we even had wild camping on Holy Island, you obviously couldn’t drive a campervan there but it is the same type of people”.
Carrigaholt has had 27 campervans in recent times, Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG) informed the meeting with “so many more in Loop Head and the Bridges of Ross”. Funding is delaying any progress, he said, “we have a lot of tourism projects in hand but time is of the essence. They spend a lot of money in the area, they don’t just come and go. Shops are closing in rural Ireland, if you want to keep rural Ireland alive and keep shop open then you need people coming”.
Lisdoonvarna had “huge problems” with campervans in the past until the addition of by-laws. On one Sunday night of the Matchmaking Festival this month, 85 campervans were managed on a private site. “We’ve gone for planning and encountered huge concerns mainly on how it will be managed, it is making use of what we have while we have it. There is a piece of work to be done on how they are managed. We have a fantastic linked transport plan, you don’t have to park in Lahinch or on the edge of Cliffs of Moher to enjoy them if you have an integrated plan”.
While attending the Dingle Races in August, Cllr Dinny Gould (IND) was able to count “at least 150 campervans in the heart of Dingle by the harbour. Some are worth €2,000, others were worth €10,000 but they were all parked there, I don’t know who was collecting the money but it was a lovely site”. He continued, “What I saw in Spanish Point during Willie Clancy week was a pure disgrace, they were parked here and there, it is only going to escalate with the price of hotels and Air BnBs”.
A report was completed in December 2023 for the Council by Repucon Consulting, McNulty told the meeting. She commended Lisdoonvarna Fáilte for taking the lead in delivering camper van facilities and suggested, “it could be the best example of campervan parking in Ireland”. She said an accommodation audit has “identified deficits, this is a real opportunity for Clare County Council which we are embracing”.
Chief Executive of the Council, Gordon Daly acknowledged it was “a great opportunity”. He stated that this would become “a priority during this Council term” and added, “It is important, there are good examples in private ownership, community led or public sector led, there is an under-provision across the country which is why a national group has been set up so we’re not an outlier in Clare”.
