*Cllr Pat McMahon. Photograph: Eamon Ward
Construction of new houses in Ballinacragga has ‘changed the ambience’ of the area leading a county councillor who resides in the vicinity “to take over the road”.
Clare County Council were requested by Cllr Pat McMahon (FF) to take over the road in the townland of Ballinacragga in Newmarket-on-Fergus “leading to the farms and households of the McCormacks, Fawls, Donlons, Freemans, McMahons, McNamaras, Marrens, Keanes etc due to the extra usage of said road”.
Senior executive engineer in the Shannon Municipal District, Tom Mellett explained that the road was off the R458 and approximately 1200m in length. “The condition of the road will be surveyed to assess suitability for a Section 11 of the Roads Act 1993 declaration of a public road. If the road is not in a suitable condition the residents along the road will need to consider applying for the Local Improvement Scheme to bring the road to an acceptable condition”.
Twelve to fourteen farmers use the road, Cllr McMahon explained. “If the summer is reasonably good, the land is use to bail hay and cattle are left there for two to three months”. He continued, “We have a few new houses being built there which is changing the ambience of the road”.
“The election hasn’t started yet,” Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) remarked to the proposal. “It is worth exploring its declaration as a public road, if it not suitable then the indication that an application for LIS would be encouraged from residents and farmers in the area, unfortunately that particular scheme is inundated with requests, only eleven applications were completed this year and I’m not sure how many in this Municipal District”.
