*Photograph: John Mangan
THIRTY to forty extra car parking spaces can be provided in Lahinch by clearing away waste ground on a site previously touted for a skate park.
Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) has called on Clare County Council to expand the car park on the Miltown Malbay Rd in Lahinch.
He stated, “By clearing away all the waste ground as far as the open drain that exists on the southern side and to the cliff boundary wall on the western side. This in my opinion could create another thirty to forty car parking spaces and also clean up the area”.
Senior executive engineer in the West Clare MD, Tony Neville outlined that the site “was examined previously as a possible location for a recreation park”.
This followed motions by former councillor, Liam Grant (GP) in January and November 2022. He had requested a feasibility study be carried out to see what was required to construct a pump track at the location to offer an alternative to “drinking cans by the cliff car park”.
Neville told this month’s meeting of the West Clare MD, “Any surveys undertaken at that time can be re-visited. Site topography and environmental challenges will render any construction project difficult at this location. On completion of a draft design we will look at the overall cost/benefit and revert”.
Cllr Slattery pointed out that he tabled a motion looking for the land to be utilised for parking a decade ago. “There is a lot of waste land there and there is anti-social behaviour going on at the weekends”. He believed if the waste land was levelled and a drain piped along the southern side of the car park that there would be space for up to forty additional cars “and I’m conservative with that number”.
“A skate park was sought in the last term but I don’t know what happened there, I’d ask the Council to consider my proposal, it is waste land. Parking is so scarce in Lahinch, we need the parking spaces even for funerals, masses and weddings where there is no room to park by the church. It is a waste of ground, it is two years ago since the request was made for the skate park and nothing happened, could this be considered urgently and try have it up and running for the next tourism season,” the Lahinch representative added.
Seconding the proposal, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) commented, “let’s see where the examination goes from Tony’s side”.
