*An artist’s impression of the Post Office Field Boardwalk.
UNDER 100 people attended the two public consultation drop-in events held last Wednesday and Friday for the plans to develop the Post Office Field in Ennis.
Public consultation on the plans which are part of the Ennis 2040 Strategy continue until May 9th and are on display at the reception area of Clare County Council’s offices. The plans are also available to view online 24/7 on Clare County Councils Have Your Say Portal.
An investment of €5m is required for the development which will deliver a boardwalk across the Post Office Field, a focal point for Ennis town centre plus connectivity north and south of the River Fergus to the town centre for pedestrians and cyclists. The town centre riverside looped walk will also improve leisure and playground facilities.
As per the slides on show at the public consultation events, the scheme benefits listed by Ennis 2040 DAC are a return on investment for Ennis over the next thirty years. This calculation comprises of €7m in health benefits, €2.2m in journey time savings, €600,000 n mode shift benefits in line with the Climate Action Plan and €200,000 in recreational benefits and enhanced biodiversity exposure.
Creation of the boardwalk will reduce the walk time from Harmony Row to O’Connell Square by one minute, from Harmony Row to Parnell Street and Market Square by three minutes, from Ennis Community College to O’Connell Square by three minutes and the Mill Rd to O’Connell Square by two minutes.
Site development will use low impact methods and working areas will be strictly controlled to keep the construction footprint as small as possible, Ennis 2040 DAC have said.
Notably signs were erected in Waterpark House were the public consultation was held advising attendees that photographs and videos could not be taken. A spokesperson for Ennis 2040 DAC told The Clare Echo said this request was issued “for GDPR purposes and to avoid misrepresentation or degrading of the images on display”.
When asked what GDPR issues could arise in a public consultation event, the spokeswoman said, “If someone can be recognised from a photograph it’s usually considered their personal data. We wish to respect the privacy of individuals attending public consultation drop-in events and avoid photographs of them being published on social media without permission”.
Ian Douglas, Ecologist & Agri-Environmental Consultant, ID Environmental Consultants has led the concept proposals for the development. He declined to do an interview with The Clare Echo but issued a comment via Ennis 2040 DAC’s communications advisor, “This is a fantastic project that promotes connection to nature. Here, we can bring people into Post Office Field without impacting on it and create new biodiversity habitats. The project has a very small footprint and the raised boardwalk won’t impact on the site underneath. We have conducted comprehensive surveys on bats, habitats, flora and mammals to ensure this can be developed with absolute minimum impact”.
