A rally to stop the destruction of the town’s riverside civic amenities will be held at The Square in Ennis on Saturday 18th May.
Organised by the ‘Save Ennis Town’ (SET) group, the public gathering will give the people of the town and surrounding areas an opportunity to demonstrate their opposition to the proposed Ennis 2040 plans to build on the car parks in the town centre.
“‘Save Ennis Town’ is a community based group of people from Ennis, local traders and public representatives. The group was set up following a public meeting on the issue over a year ago and we’re deeply concerned with the multi storey speculative buildings proposed by Ennis 2040 DAC for two public car parks and the potential impact this will have on the fabric of our town. We all have seen the results of the spend of €1.75 million on the building of the “ White Elephant” in the market car park,” says Gearóid Mannion, chairman of SET.
“There is huge local opposition to these proposed plans and, in the absence of any real or meaningful consultation on the issue, we felt it was important to organise a public rally where the voice of the people can be heard.
Last October, following a silent public march, a petition was presented by ‘Save Ennis Town’ to Clare County Council with over 3,700 signatures opposing the project proposed for the two town centre car parks.
However, the group is not opposed to all of the Ennis 2040 plans. We support positive progress and the future development of Ennis. But the images we have seen so far of the proposed developments by the riverside demonstrate the scale of the destruction planned for the heart of our historic town.”
“This is not just about people having a place to park when they come into Ennis to visit shop, socialise or attend medical appointments. Yes, public parking is vitally important to ensure the survival of our small businesses, but we are also talking about the loss of a much loved civic space which brings a vibrancy and life to the centre of the town. Remember the massive outdoor concerts during the Fleadh in 2016 and 2017, the Christmas Markets and home coming events for our County teams?”
The controversy over the proposed development in the town centre has become a major issue in the upcoming local elections in the Ennis Municipal District with sitting councillors divided on the issue. Gearoid Mannion is asking people to keep this in mind when casting their vote on June 7th.
“This is a huge and expensive project we are looking at. There is a combined projected cost of 25million with 2.2million already spent, with little or no public consultation to date. This election is a chance for people to have their voice heard by voting for the candidates who are committed to protecting our civic amenities by halting the destruction of our riverside car parks.”
*The ‘Save Ennis Town’ Public Rally takes place on Saturday 18th May at 2pm in The Square, Ennis.