*The site where a structure for a bandstand had been installed.
ALMOST €50,000 has been wasted by Clare County Council on attempts to construct a bandstand in Bunratty.
In September, The Clare Echo reported how the Council was forced to pause plans to build a band stand in Bunratty after realising it did not own the lands on which the structure was to be constructed on.
Since June of this year, town and village renewal works have been underway in Bunratty. Part of these plans included erecting a band stand as a focal point in the heart of the locality. A major stumbling emerged when it was discovered that the Council were putting the band stand on lands that it did not own.
Prior to the works, the Council were unable to find a registered owner for the land and had maintained it for in excess of thirty years. This is despite the owners being well-known in the locality for their contribution to the area.
Over the past two months, negotiations commenced between the local authority and the landowner but in the past week the base for the band stand was removed indicating that these talks have reached a conclusion and that the plans will not proceed at the desired location.
A spokesperson for Clare County Council told The Clare Echo on Wednesday, “Shannon Municipal District is committed to delivering the bandstand in Bunratty and alternative locations are currently being considered”.
The Clare Echo understands that €48,000 has already been spent on the bandstand to date and the local community has nothing to show for it, at this stage.
Elected members of the Shannon MD are hopeful a resolution can be found with a site close to Bunratty Castle now to be examined as a potential location for the bandstand.
Speaking at the November meeting of the Shannon Municipal District, senior executive engineer Tom Mellett said they were hopeful of completing all works associated with the town and village renewal scheme by December.
Statutory approval for the town and village renewal works in Bunratty were obtained under Section 38 of the Roads Act 1994. The enhanced public realm works are to include traffic calming measures and the introduction of a number of pedestrian crossing points which will connect the north and south of the main road in Bunratty for the first time.
