This article is from page 12 of the 2008-03-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
CLARE COUNTY Council has failed to provide any permanent halt- ing site for Travellers in the three years of its 2005-08 Traveller Ac- commodation Programme.
At the outset of the programme, the council identified 64 families in need of accommodation, but has failed to provide any permanent halting sites across Clare since 2005.
This is in contrast to the council’s performance in the previous Trav- eller accommodation plan, which developed four permanent Traveller accommodation sites in Ennis (2), Ennistymon and Shannon.
With a spend of €12 million, the council reduced the numbers of Travellers without accommodation from 61 to 14.
However, in the existing plan, the council has constructed no _ per- manent sites, but has instead con-
structed a large temporary site on the outskirts of Ennis in Doora, with an agreed deadline of having the Bal- laghboy site, which accommodates 16 families, closed down by Decem- ber of this year.
In the review of the Traveller ac- commodation programme, _ the council acknowledges the proposed closure “will pose considerable dif- ficulties to both Ennis Town Coun- cil and Clare County Council as the preference of many of the families on the site is for a range of social housing options”.
An emergency nine-family site was constructed in Ennistymon during the lifetime of the existing plan.
The review confirms that the coun- cil is making progress in providing permanent sites at five sites around Ennis at Knockanean, Ashline, Kil- morane, Ballaghboy and the Lahinch Road area, while it is progressing on two permanent sites in Ennistymon.