*Photograph: Páraic McMahon.
PUBLIC consultation will be ramped up as part of a review of the Ennis 2040 plan while the Interim Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Ennis 2040 DAC is likely to remain in the post for the foreseeable future.
At the beginning of this year, Padraic McElwee was moved from his role as Head of Enterprise with Clare County Council to become COO of the Ennis 2040 DAC following Kevin Corrigan’s resignation in December and subsequent departure in January.
Chief Executive of Clare County Council, Gordon Daly was tight-lipped when questioned by The Clare Echo on how long McElwee’s interim status would last for. “I don’t want to get into individual staffing matters”.
In March, two of the most contentious aspects of the Ennis 2040 plan, proposals to build on the public car parks of Abbey Street and Harvey’s Quay were paused. Following his appointment as Chief Executive, Daly announced there would be a review of the Ennis 2040 strategy.
On whether McElwee would continue in the post for the duration of the review, Daly stated, “Padraic is currently in the post and remains so while we are doing this review. I don’t want to talk about individuals”.
Daly explained that the request of Minister for Housing and Local Government, James Browne (FF) for Clare County Council to complete a variation of its County Development Plan to bring in more zoned lands for housing in Ennis and the county will lead to greater clarity for Ennis 2040.
He told The Clare Echo, “I have to bring forward a variation process to the County Development Plan for councillors and that is provided in legislation, I’ve reflected on the need to bring certainty and clarity to some of the key issues in Ennis, what I intend doing is using that variation process and using the opportunity because we have to do it anyway, to bring forward certainty and clarity on those sites within the Ennis 2040 plan that need a final decision, that will mean effectively as part of the variation we will review the Ennis 2040 plan and the Ennis section of the Clare County Development Plan are intrinsically linked. The Ennis 2040 plan isn’t a statutory plan, the Ennis Town plan in the County Development Plan is so opportunity and transformative sites are also referenced in that plan so it is the County Development Plan which will be varied”.
Statutory elements of the Ennis 2040 plan “particularly those relating to opportunity sites” will be reviewed, the Chief Executive confirmed. “Any changes, clarity or certainty needed will be brought in by way of variation of the Development Plan, that is particularly important because it is a role that councillors have as a planning authority so it will be their decision to adopt those changes or not, it allows a full public consultation, a statutory public consultation where there has to be a Chief Executive’s report prepared, certain timelines for considering decisions and then the fixed position of the local authority for the remainder of years. It will be a change, those sites were put in the last County Development Plan in-line with the 2040 Plan but obviously it is four or five years on, that is why we have structures within the planning process which allow variation and things to be reconsidered, that will happen, we will also use that process for the Ennis Local Transport Plan which would be ordinarily a non-statutory plan so we will use the opportunity of a statutory variation of the County Development Plan to also bring that into the County Development Plan as a component to get certainty on it and also allow for a final round of public consultation where it has to be adopted by the councillors, it is respecting their role and mandate as the planning authority”.
An ongoing review of the Ennis 2040 will continue “over the coming months,” he said. “To make the distinction between the Ennis 2040 Plan, the Ennis 2040 DAC, they are linked but they are separate, a key part of the DAC is to deliver on the projects in the Ennis 2040 Plan, it makes a lot of sense that if we are reviewing the Ennis 2040 Plan and the Town Plan that we also in tandem do a strategic review of the future direction of the Ennis 2040 DAC, this is timely anyway, it is only good business practice four of five years into the making of the Ennis 2040 Plan and the establishment of the Ennis 2040 DAC to actually do a review. I agreed this in conjunction with the Board and the Chairperson, they have given myself the time to reflect on this and this is how we will go forward, that will be done over the coming months, it will give certainty and clarity then as to the future process and direction of Ennis 2040 DAC and what projects it will be working on, it will be linked to certainty in terms of a revised Ennis development plan”.
