*Cllr Pat Daly (inset) highlighted the need for “parking pockets” throughout Ennis town
A RENEWED call has been made for more parking spaces in Ennis as Clare County Council reviews the town’s parking bye-laws.
The issue was raised by Cllr Pat Daly (FF) at the September meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, where he called for potential “parking pockets” to be identified throughout the town.
In a written motion, Cllr Daly said additional spaces would allow locals and tourists to park more freely and would benefit the commercial life of the town.
He identified areas including Carmody Street, the lower car park and Lifford as potential locations for additional parking.
Cllr Daly said he had recently spent a day in Dungarvan, where he saw additional parking located behind businesses and off the town’s main streets.
He said Ennis needed to identify potential sites where more parking could be provided.
Cllr Daly also pointed to the cost of parking in Dungarvan, where he said motorists could park for the day for €5.
Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF), who seconded the motion, said there had been “many discussions” about parking in Ennis and described the council’s response as positive.
“The first step to solve a problem is to acknowledge there is a problem,” he said.
Cllr O’Callaghan said additional parking spaces could contribute to increased economic activity in the town.
He said the recent public realm works had also resulted in the loss of some parking spaces, including as a result of the pedestrianisation of Parnell Street.
Cllr Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF) said Ennis was a historic town and questioned whether there were opportunities to find additional parking spaces.
She also raised the issue of parking permits for residents living in the town centre.
Cllr Baker Bashua said residents who worked from home could occupy parking spaces throughout the day, meaning spaces were unavailable to shoppers and visitors.
She said the issue of parking permits should be considered as part of the review.
“If we are committed to getting footfall into our town, we need to ask the hard questions,” she said.
Cllr Daly said the town had needed to consider multi-storey parking for a number of years, arguing that this could remove long-term parkers from spaces in the town centre.
He said he had recently been in a pharmacy in the town when three employees ran outside to renew their parking tickets.
Cllr Daly said the workers were not at fault but were occupying three town centre spaces for the day.
Senior Engineer for the Ennis Municipal District Hugh McGrath welcomed what he described as an informed discussion on the issue.
He said the council needed to examine the request made by the councillors, including the availability of space for people who park for longer periods, such as employees.
Mr McGrath said the council would discuss the issue internally.
He also referred to the multi-storey car park at Dunnes Stores, saying it was not always full even on the busiest days.
However, he noted that the facility was privately owned and therefore was not something the council could control.
Mr McGrath said he would not disagree with any of the points raised by councillors.
In a written response, Senior Executive Engineer Tom Mellett said the Ennis Municipal District was currently reviewing the parking bye-laws.
He said the review aimed to optimise the management of existing public car parking in the town centre for the benefit of businesses, visitors and residents.
The review is being carried out in the context of the Ennis Transport Plan and Ennis Town Bus Service.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
