A TWO WEEK extension for the public consultation period for the contentious draft Ennis Local Transport Plan has been confirmed by Clare County Council.
Submissions for the draft plan soared last Thursday evening in advance of the planned deadline of Friday (June 27th) prompting the online system to crash and go offline from Thursday night into Friday morning.
This led to requests from Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) and Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) to extend the deadline for submissions, a stance which was initially rejected by officials in the Ennis Municipal District.
However, on Monday afternoon the County Council announced a change of heart and an extension of the window for public consultation with submissions from the public now accepted until Friday July 11th.
In a statement to The Clare Echo, a spokesperson for the Council welcomed “the many submissions” received on Thursday and Friday of last week. “Public participation in essential to the process, and Clare County Council are now extending the public consultation from today, Monday June 30, for two more weeks, until midnight on Friday July 11th 2025”.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Cllr O’Callaghan said he was “absolutely thrilled” with the extension of public consultation. “There were many attempts made by people who were unable to make a submission so these people can now have their voice heard, I’m very grateful to Clare County Council for extending the deadline”.
Clare County Council commissioned the development of a Local Transport Plan (LTP) for Ennis as part of the development of a new Local Area Plan (LAP). The LTP will establish a strategic framework for transport investment in Ennis. The LTP will be the first town wide transport plan since the early 2000’s and will look at Ennis in the context of its role as the largest town in the region. The Ennis LPT is being delivered by the Ennis Municipal District office of Clare County Council and Systra Ltd. The team from Systra includes consultants with significant experience in the delivery of sustainable infrastructure and transport planning.
Listed as the primary aim of the plan is “to reduce car dependence through improved sustainable transport and in doing so reduce the impacts of traffic congestion, provide solutions for sustainable growth and meet climate targets”. In total 116 schemes are proposed in the transport plan, the combined length of which is 75km.
Plans to make the Mill Rd in Ennis a one-way traffic system have been met with heavy opposition from businesses and residents in the locality.
