*Untidy boundary walls in Gort na Rí. Photograph: Joe Buckley
Local representatives have warned that a serious injury is likely to occur at a ‘messy’ green area in Shannon.
Green areas outside the Gort na Rí housing development and across from Dun an Óir were brought into focus by Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) at a recent sitting of the Shannon Municipal District.
He requested works to both sites be finished. With regard to Gort na Rí, Cllr Flynn asked that fence posts be removed, “unsightly graffiti” be removed from the boundary wall and that the green area be reinstated. Trees and shrubs have been removed from the Drumgeely Rd opposite Dun an Óir and the Gort Rd with restoration work needed, he felt.
Walls behind Gort na Rí “were exposed and shown to be in an untidy manner” following the removal of trees last year, senior executive engineer Tom Mellett stated in response. Engagement is ongoing to resolve the matter with relevant parties with footpath repairs completed.
Mellett explained, “The remains of the concrete fence are on school property as is the green area surrounding them”. The area opposite Dun an Óir has been levelled “and made good following the removal of the undergrowth to allow our contractor to maintain this grass verge”.
Clare County Council’s housing section should contribute funding to solve the matter, Cllr Flynn argued. The remains of the fence were labelled as a health and safety issue, “I’m in dread of someone getting seriously injured. The school didn’t do much about removing the trees. The estate was built for vulnerable people and people with disabilities. It is aggravating that amount of abuse they had to put up with be it with drug dealing or whatever else”.
Having met with local residents, Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF) coined the conditions by Gort na Rí as “an awful mess”. She added, “There is going to be an accident, people are beginning to use it as a dumping ground”.
