ARCHITECTS will be the only ones to benefit from the Shannon Town Masterplan, a retired town councillor has predicted.
Tony McMahon is a former Mayor of Shannon and was elected to Shannon Town Council as a representative for the Labour Party in 1999 and 2004. He unsuccessfully contested County Council elections in 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014.
Speaking at a meeting of Love Shannon, he informed the gathering that high rents of €40,000 in 2003 led to him moving the premises of his bakery from Shannon Town Centre.
Of his time on the Town Council, he recalled that it was “a privilege” but “very frustrating”. “A few of us came up with good ideas but all we’d every get from Clare County Council would be a few thousand thrown into the Leisure Centre”.
McMahon felt transitioning Love Shannon to a community council would be a step in the right direction. “Shannon Town Council as bad and all as it was it had some connection with the community, I can’t see a concise movement right now to promote what is good about our town”.
On Monday, the draft masterplan for Shannon Town Centre was published. “The new plan all that will benefit are the architects,” he predicted. “If I was a tourist who landed at Shannon Airport, what would attract me to come into the town, the top of the Town Centre looks like a prison, it is far from a town. We’re lacking an awful lot, the first thing the community group should do is sit down and identify our goals. Go back to what made Shannon, we made an airport and an industrial estate, now we can’t even build a community centre”.
Areas with smaller populations than Shannon boast better facilities and a stronger community spirit, Tony felt. He believed Council meetings were “restrictive” in what they could achieve for the town. “We have voting power to change the system which hasn’t been beneficial to us. We’ll be waiting a long time for the Council to deliver for us”.
