*A full Harvey’s Quay car park in Ennis on Tuesday morning after 9am. Photograph: Páraic McMahon.
ENNIS is short an estimated 240 spaces according to one councillor who said such a shortcoming is the equivalent of “€20m per annum lost for the local retail sector”.
Short-term initiatives have been launched across Ennis town centre to provide more parking in order to increase businesses for the festive season.
More than fifty parking spaces will be provided at the old Boys NS in Ennis now owned by Ennis 2040 DAC for the festive period. A senior official in the Council said the long-term development here could provide 180 spaces.
Free parking at Áras Contae an Chláir on the New Rd and at Waterpark House in Drumbiggle has been made available each weekend for free parking. Council owned car parks in Abbey Street, Harvey’s Quay (Parnell Street), Bindon St, Cornmarket St, Friars Walk, Lower Market St and Woodquay will have free parking from 2pm from Monday to Saturday. Fees remain as normal for on-street parking.
Holy Family School is also offering free parking from December 20th to January 3rd inclusive along with this weekend.
Parking was once again brought before a recent sitting of the Ennis Municipal District with Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) requesting the number of car spaces lost since 2023 “due to the many works ongoing within our town and what actions are envisaged to have them replaced”.
In his response, senior engineer Seán Lenihan stated, “we haven’t ‘lost’ spaces but rather repurposed them as part of much needed and welcomed improvement works and projects throughout the Municipal District”. Such examples included ‘utilising’ “a number of spaces” to provide wider footpaths and the Safer Routes to School projects with saw “other spaces” also “utilised”.
Lenihan outlined, “While we all know that we have to look at other modes of transport and reduce our dependency on the car, we are somewhat away from that stage yet. And while there are almost 3000 spaces within the Town, one parking space for every 13 people compared to one per 29 in Waterford and one per 24 in Navan, we need to better manage and inform the public of where parking is available by means of improved signage and real time digital messaging. To this end, we have sought the provision of necessary funds in next year’s budget to progress that particular project. We are also looking to add further parking spaces where we can such as the recently completed extension to the carpark at the Gort Road Business Park and the soon to commence carpark development to the rear of the Cloister”.
Further parking will also be provided “as part of the new development at the former Boys National School on the Kilrush Road as well as in a number of other locations that we are actively looking at and also, within developments proposed by the private sector,” he added.
A review of the parking bye-laws in Ennis Town will soon “be published,” Lenihan advised. “The outcome of this should greatly assist in a more streamlined and improved management and operation of the existing parking available. Finally, the introduction of the new Town Bus Service, expected to be in operation in the early part of the new year, will be a huge asset in minimising the dependence on the car and consequently, on the demand for Town Centre parking. The cumulative impact of all the above will result in the optimum benefit for the car dependent public and crucially, the Town Business community who depend on their custom to prosper”.
Speaking at the Ennis MD sitting, Cllr O’Callaghan said 150 spaces were lost when he last tabled a similar motion on the subject. “Car parking is crucial to the viability of all businesses. Your reply says they had been repurposed, I welcome the work ongoing but the issue I have is there has been car spaces sacrificed, I haven’t got the figures. These are all welcome developments but in my estimation about 80 spaces are gone so that is effectively 239 spaces that are not there, I welcome the Cloister plans, hope it can be dealt with long-term”.
All elected members are supportive of proposals for the Gort Rd, he said. “We need to look at parking and people getting to where they want to get to. I noted in 2017, there was workshops here at the time, there is a lack of data and decisions are made more on feelings than facts. The Council committed to develop and acquire sites for 130 off street spaces in three years but the concern I have is that to me hasn’t happened, within the time my colleague has brought up by-laws but nothing has happened to date. What I’m saying, we welcome all the work but if we want to develop and grow our town to maximum capacity we have to take on extra car spaces”.
Seconding the proposal, Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) said “very valid” points had been raised by his colleague. Cllr Pat Daly (FF) stated, “It is a good question, I have to say, the Cloister will be huge for the town and the GAA because the GAA is part of the town. Abbey St is a big worry, there is a serious worry that it would be gone but it won’t be now. Parking in this town is at a premium but it is improving. It is as good a town in Ireland now with the works ongoing in Ennis”.
Responding to elected members, Lenihan said, “Looking back ten years I don’t agree that it is helpful and I’ve said it before, parking is fluid, I fully understand and I am repeating myself the requirement for businesses to have parking”. He felt the provision of the town bus service would be “a game changer but it is not there yet, the signage I’ve spoken about before and it will be very useful, I know for a fact there is a load of available spaces, we park where always park and there might be a suitable spot elsewhere, Abbey St and Parnell St by remaining available for parking takes huge pressure off the requirement, some of the figures from ten years ago were based on different projections, car ownership was expected to increase significantly and population growth was also forecasted to rise significantly, some experts have now said they are not true”.
180 spaces are proposed as part of the overall development of the Old Ennis Boys NS, Lenihan revealed. “We are actively looking at other sites,” he added.
Pre-pandemic figures on parking in Ennis “are very important,” Cllr O’Callaghan stressed. “I do take all reports very seriously and I always have”. He said a document compiled by the Council states that 500 more spaces “has not materialised”.
Public realm works had a “significant impact” on turnover for businesses in Abbey St and Bank Place with Cllr O’Callaghan advising that sales were down 51 percent in one business alone. “200 spaces not replaced is equivalent of €20m per annum lost for the retail sector.
