FRUSTRATION has been expressed in Lahinch at the failure to maintain infrastructure in the coastal town despite significant investment for its installation.
In a motion before the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Bill Slattery (FG) called on Clare County Council to “power hose, clean and repair the railings on the old and new promenade in Lahinch” and to also paint the walls leading from the Claremont Hotel to the promenade.
Senior executive engineer in the West Clare MD, Tony Neville confirmed that the cleaning and painting of the walls adjacent to the Claremont Hotel has commenced in conjunction with seasonal beach operatives.
He stated, “Replacement of one section of railing regularly damaged due to its location at a point where access steps meets the sea has commenced. A permanent solution has been determined and includes the provision of a small concrete retaining wall. Localised repairs are required to the railings in general and these will continue. Cleaning of the remaining sections is also required and we are currently looking at the most effective method, power hose, chemical treatment, painting or a combination of each”.
Speaking in the Seanad in 2019, Senator Martin Conway (FG) noted “a significant investment in Lahinch” with €5m spent on rock armour and essential coastal protection works. A figure of €2.85m for “major coastal protection works for the promenade area of Lahinch seafront” was announced in September 2016.
Cllr Slattery told the July meeting of the West Clare MD, “I know it is difficult with Lahinch promenade getting the prevailing wind but we find it difficult to maintain the railings and we always have, we had the concrete bars there for years, they weren’t as bad as what is there now even though what is there now was beautiful when they first arrived in 2019”.
He continued, “There was no spring maintenance going on in the prom in Lahinch, the painting and bins, everything seems to be lacking for such a prominent spot, it really came to my attention with a couple who got married four months ago, they went over to get a photograph taken and all you could see in the background was rust”.
Seconding the proposal, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) commented that it was “hugely frustrating that the investment was done as recently as 2017. The old bars were falling asunder, getting them replaced was critical, we got a product with a 25 year guarantee and seven years later they are in a deplorable state, an annual spring clean has to be factored in”. Current conditions are “letting the place down,” he maintained.
According to Cllr Michael Shannon (FF), the creation of a new strategic policy committee dedicated to tourism was welcome, “all the issues can be dovetailed into and addressed on its umbrella. Spring is about preparing for the season and having the facilities, we need to invest in the tourism product to have the return”.
Lahinch benefitted from a paint scheme prior to the Irish Open in 2019, questions on what has happened to the €10,000 paint scheme were raised by Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) and he pointed out, “West Clare is different to East Clare in that we get the weather”.
“It is very relevant coming up to Budget time both at a national and Council level,” Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) observed. “We’re seeing the level of investment into tourism,” he said and referred to his motion before the July sitting of the County Council, “I asked that a focus be put on towns and villages not owned by Clare County Council, Lahinch isn’t owned by Clare County Council, Lisdoonvarna isn’t owned by Clare County Council, they struggle with the dispersal of funds that might have a real impact”.
His contribution prompted Cllr Killeen to seek that efforts be made to restore the paint scheme to which Cllr Talty advised, “it was lost in budget discussions a few years ago”.
