This article is from page 4 of the 2014-09-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
CLARE County Council last night received a three-quarter of a million euro boost with the unexpected announcement that the Department of the Environment will reimburse the € 779,870 spent by the local authori- ty in clean up work after the StBrigid’s Day storms. The Clare People also understands the the council may also soon receive a further € 2.2 million allocation to help fund the repair works follow the February storms.
The council has already been allocation € 16.8 million in lieu of the devastating January storms but repair works have been hampered in many locations because of a lack of certainty from government concerning funding for the February storm – which has been valued at more than € 10 million.
The € 779,870 allocation was yesterday welcomed by Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr John Crowe (FG).
“My colleagues and I have relentlessly pursued recoupment of these costs and I am delighted that the Department is now in a position to recoup these costs to the council,” he said.
“We will continue to progress the programmes necessary to deal with the effects of the storms on communities particularly along the western seaboard.” Tom Coughlan, Chief Executive, Clare County Council, conf rmed that the council “will now proceed to submit a claim as requested by the department for the recoupment of these costs, which were being carried by the council”. It has also been conf rmed that progress has been make with an application for a new coastal protection system at Cloughaninchy.
The OPW are now going to deal with application for works from Clare County Council on a caseby-case basis rather than making a block approval of f nding. “The OPW has advised that it will consider applications from the council to facilitate the appointment of consultants in relation to each site previously identif ed for strengthen ing works,” said a council spokesperson. “One such application, in relation to Cloughaninchy, has been submitted and has been approved.
“A procurement process is underway on foot of this approval.
Other such applications will be made in the near future.” Tue30September14