A PLANNED MARCH is to take place this Saturday (April 15th) over plans to demolish cottages on Francis Street in Ennis.
Following on from the decision of elected members of the Ennis Municipal District at a vote of 4-3 to proceed with the construction of a temporary car park and the demolition of the cottages, it has led to the birth of a new group called the Francis Street Alliance.
Members include prominent disability activist, Dermot Hayes, Clare Chair of the Community Action Tenants Union Tim Hannon and Sinn Féin’s Thomas Guilfoyle.
Campaigners argue that the costs which are estimated to reach €1m would be better spent renovating the properties to provide social housing within the county town.
On Saturday, they will be marching from the car park of glór at 1pm to the offices of Clare County Council.
In a statement to The Clare Echo, Tim said, “It is scandalous that Ennis councillors have approved the demolition of these cottages at a time when families in all parts of Clare are being evicted into homelessness, and no emergency accommodation is available. This decision shows a clear lack of understanding of the housing crisis in our county”.
Guilfoyle outlined, “The councillors who voted in favour of this demolition have clearly demonstrated their lack of commitment to tackling the housing crisis in Clare”. He added, “The Francis Street Site is Council property, and we believe that it should be used to build much-needed houses. We also believe that the Abbey Street carpark must remain in public ownership and open for use by the community. This space provides an important venue for festivals and other amenities in Co. Clare’s main town”.
Corofin native Hayes highlighted that the cottages would be suitable for single people with accessibility issues. “It is disappointing to see that the Council is willing to demolish structurally sound cottages that could provide accessible housing for people with disabilities in our community”. Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) has said the properties are “asbestos ridden”.
The Save Francis Street Alliance expressed deep concern about the authority granted to the Ennis 2040 DAC and the potential privatisation of publicly owned assets. The organisation believes that it is crucial for the town’s resources and assets to be managed in the best interests of the local community and the wider county. The group said it was worried of a recurrence of the scandals that marred the Galway 2020 project if there is insufficient transparency and oversight from the local community.
