*Knockaderry Grove’s sub-station before improvements were carried out. Photograph: Gary Collins
An ESB sub-station has been removed from Clare County Council’s derelict site register.
Local authority officials described the work undertaken at the sub-station during March and April as ‘transformative’. Located at Knockaderry Grove on the Tulla Rd in Ennis, the site was previously equated as looking like “something from Eastern Europe 20 years ago” by Cllr Mary Howard (FG).
It is one of four properties that have been removed from the register during the month of April and among the thirteen this year.
Last month, two new files were opened. A total of fifteen new complaints relating to the derelict sites have been investigated by the Council this year.
“One site that was of concern to the members of the Ennis Municipal District and the residents of Tulla Road, Ennis since 2019 was transformed in March and April 2021, resulting in the file being closed and it is no longer derelict. This followed intensive engagement with the ESB and shows how positive engagement can yield positive results,” a spokesperson for the local authority outlined.
Cllr Mark Nestor (FF) initially brought the matter before the Ennis MD. He told The Clare Echo, “it is very positive the work that has gone on thus far to bring the sub-station back to a suitable quality. The residents of Knockaderry Grove were very upset, they take great pride in their houses and their estate and to have a sub-station in poor condition was a very negative attraction to the area”.
Groups such as Ennis Tidy Towns also saw marks deducted when they were being adjudicated due to the aesthetics of the sub-station. “I am delighted certain work has taken place but I am very much aware that further steps need to take place on this site,” Nestor added.
