This article is from page 15 of the 2006-05-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
VISITORS to Lahinch will be forced to foot the bill for the proposed new public toilet and shower facilities that are planned for the town. At last night’s meeting of Clare County Council, a motion was unanimously passed to double the cost of parking on the village’s promenade and in the Liscannor Road Parking lot.
The cost of parking in both locations will increase from €1 to €2 for a three hour parking disc and from €2.50 to €4 for an eight hour disc. With tens of thousands of tourists parking on the promenade each Summer the increase is likely to bring in more than €90,000 extra for the local authority each year.
“If you compare it to the cost of parking somewhere like the Cliffs of Moher, where people are charged €6 to park, it is excellent value for money,” said Ennistymon-based Councillor Martin Conway, who has been campaigning for toilet and shower facilities for surfers in Lahinch.
The extra revenue generated from the increased charges is also likely to be channelled towards improving the lifeguard facilities in Lahinch. While passing the motions at last nights meeting, councillors insisted that all the money collected must be redirected into the local area.
“We have been given a firm commitment from the director of services that all the extra money received from the increase in charges will go directly to provide toilet facilities and other amenities for the promenade,” continued Cllr Conway.
“More money will be invested in the prom than will be collected through the increase. The lack of public toilets in Lahinch is a disgrace and it has been neglected for many years while other towns have received resources ahead of them.”
It is hoped that the public toilet and shower facilities should be up and running in the village by the beginning of the 2007. However, no firm timetable has been put in place for their development. The proposed facilities are likely to be located on the promenade, in a area believed to be close to the Seaworld building.
In recent years Lahinch has seen a massive growth in the amount of surfers coming to the village each week. The numbers are believed to be in the region of 300 people a week.