This article is from page 4 of the 2006-02-07 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 have given up the fight for the land sought by Limerick City Council in the proposed boundary extension, just weeks before the issue is to be decided.
That is according to one Limerick city councillor who said the Clare local authority has been negligent in their responsibility for the south east of the county.
Limerick City Councillor John Ryan (Lab) told The Clare People that Clare County Council have given approval for planning permission for houses in the Corbally area with no consideration for infrastructure, schools, roads or child safety.
“It shows Clare County Council have given up the fight on this one,” he said.
“If they were interested in stopping an extension of boundary they would have invested in it (the area).”
Accusing the Clare council of having “no regard for people who are going to be living in that area”, he said that he had received numerous complaints from people about the state of the roads from outside Corbally, towards Clare.
Should the boundary be extended, the Limerick City councillor said that plans could be put in place to link the Dublin and Ennis roads, and therefore ease traffic through the city.
He said while Limerick has plans for such a link it would mean going through County Clare.
Members of Clare County Council remain defiant, however, that not an inch of Clare will be given over to Limerick City.
A decision on the Clare-Limerick boundary extension will be decided long before the first whistle is blown in this year’s Munster championship, and county jerseys bought for the coming season.
The Minister for the Environment and Local Government Dick Roche has promised to have a decision made within weeks on the controversial proposal to move the county line.
An application from Limerick City Council to extend its boundary into Clare and Limerick city is currently with the Minister. The Minister met with the Limerick Manager on Friday before meeting a deputation from Clare County Council.
“It is a matter of weeks before I issue the determination. I am going to make the determination. I am not going to play it safe politically and do the cute thing and kick it off to some commission. I don’t think that is the way to go,” he said.
“I understand fully the passion that people in this county have, as they do in other counties, about their place.”