Unearthing the owners of a vacant property in Claureen in order to widen the Cloughleigh Rd will like “finding a needle in a haystack,” the county’s first citizen has cautioned.

Cllr Pat Daly (FF) called on the Ennis Municipal District to “acquire part of a front garden in order to widen the road at Cloughleigh Road and Claureen so that traffic can flow freely” at a recent meeting of the MD.

Three property boundaries are affecting the potential for two-way traffic and a foot/cycle path on the Cloughleigh Road, executive engineer Ian Chaplin outlined. “A yield system facilitating one-way traffic at any given time is currently in operation at this location in conjunction with the foot/cycle path. One of the properties is currently being developed and the boundary is being set back as part of that development”.

Chaplin stated that a survey would be required to know what impact other properties will experience to “achieve the desired two-way traffic system and foot/cycle path”.

Officials from the derelict sites team are in engagement with property owners of one of the units “with a view to organising setback if agreement can be reached and funding is available. The effect on the final property will then be assessed as part of the survey and design. It is the intention of the Ennis MD to facilitate two-way traffic and a foot/cycle path at this location if agreements and funding permit”.

“There is no traffic free-flow in this area,” Cllr Daly lamented. He encouraged the local authority to make moves to result in land acquisition.

Efforts of the Council to determine the owners of land was acknowledged by Cllr Mark Nestor (FF) who seconded the proposal. He believed if Daly’s request was followed through it would be very welcome for the area.

Finding the owners will be no easy feat, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) believed. “It is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack to find the owners of the property. The residents are happy to see something happening. It can be quite dangerous”.