*Photograph: Páraic McMahon.
PARKING by-laws for Ennis town centre are to be reviewed over the summer months.
Elected members of the Ennis Municipal District have said a review of the by-laws are “long overdue”, the current regulations have been in place since May 2014.
Changes and amendments to the existing policies have yet to be teased out between councillors and management of Clare County Council.
Councillors are keen for public car parks to be made primarily available for visitors to town and are likely to try clamp down on the use of such facilities by employees of various enterprises situated in the town centre and to specify exactly who is entitled to a corporate parking permit.
With senior management in the local authority admitting they didn’t want to impact local businesses further in the beginning of 2026, it is possible increased parking fees may be implemented.
Raising the matter before the Ennis MD, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) flagged, “I’ve been a councillor since 2014 and we haven’t reviewed them, it is long overdue, for some reason we’re not being presented with this work and it is long overdue”.
Mayor of the Ennis MD, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) said she has asked senior management in the MD to schedule a briefing with elected members to discuss the by-laws. “They are long overdue and it is incumbent on us to go look at them”.
Director of Service for Planning, Economic, Rural and Community Development, Jason Murphy stated, “up until recently the works in the town centre hadn’t been completed and having regard to the impact to local businesses I wasn’t inclined to bring forward new by-laws on parking”.
He continued, “I think at a point in time it will be timely to have conversations about the by-laws but it wasn’t on my agenda on this side of the summer months but I’m open to have conversations with councillors”.
Under the current by-laws, parking is limited to three hours between 09:30 to 17:30 from Monday to Saturday at Abbey Street, Bindon Street, Cornmarket Street, Francis Street (Friary), Friars Walk, Lower Market Street, Parnell Street and Woodquay where there is a combined amount of 490 spaces.
Long-stay parking which is for eight hours for the same time-frame is allowed at glór where prior to the development of the new de Valera library, there was a total of 115 spaces. Cloughleigh car park where 55 spaces remain also allows for long-stay parking.
