This article is from page 98 of the 2006-09-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 98 JPG
CLARE County Council has issued planning enforcement notices against four landowners living along the route of the West Clare railway for excavating part of the route of the line at Quilty.
In separate actions, the Council has served enforcement notices against PJ Murnane, Martin McGannon, Henry Molohan and John Daly all of Quilty.
The four landowners were told by the Council to cease excavations immediately and submit a schedule of re-instatement works prepared by an engineer.
The four have also been told to reinstate the embankment in accordance with the schedule of re-instatement work agreed with the Council.
They were also directed to refund to the Council costs and expenses of €271 incurred in investigating and detecting the alleged unauthorised development.
The Council stated that in the event of non-compliance, the four men may be liable to additional costs.
The Enforcement Notice issued stated that the West Clare railway is protected under a number of headings in the West Clare Area Local Plan and the Council has warned that if steps aren’t taken, the four may be guilty of an offence and may be liable to a €1905 fine.
One of the four, Martin McGannon said yesterday that he has written to the Council to explain his point of view which was shared by the other three landowners.
He said, “We are all in the same situation.”
He declined to state what he has told the Council on the issue.
One of the other landowners contacted, Henry Molohan declined to comment.
The Council is shortly to publish a feasibility study which has assessed the potential of the West Clare railline as a recreational facility and/or walking route for the west Clare area.
The 27-mile railway line from Ennis to Miltown Malbay was the last narrow gauge line to be closed by Government in 1961 as it was suffering annual losses of £23,000.
This followed an earlier decision not to press ahead with a £700,000 plan to convert the line to a standard gauge.
The line operated between 1892 and 1961 with the first sod turned on the project by by Charles Stewart Parnell in 1885.
Immortalized in song by Percy French, the railway has become part of Co Clare folklore and in recent years, tourists have travelled to Moyasta where 1.5 miles of the track has been restored.