€3.7m spent on road in Ennis that is not used

CLARE COUNTY Council has spent almost €4 million on a 450- metre “road to nowhere” in Ennis that has not seen traffic use it since it was completed more than two years ago.

In response to a Freedom of Information request, the council has confirmed that it has spent €3.71 million on the stretch of public road leading to the Information Age Park in Ennis.

This works out at €825,974 for every 100 metres. However, no traffic has used the road since it was completed due to the loss-making Shannon Development’s failure to complete the remaining 200 metres of the route leading to the agency’s information park.

The figures show that €2.78 million was spent on costs associated with the compulsory purchase order of the lands.

Three years ago, Barefield farmer and landowner at the site Oliver Clune (69) was jailed after being found in contempt of a court order in relation to the compulsory purchase of 1.7 acres of land to facilitate the road development.

Mr Clune went on hunger strike in jail where he spent more than a week.

The breakdown of the compulsory purchase order costs does not state how much Mr Clune received for the land. The costs would also include legal fees and stamp duty.

A Shannon Development spokeswoman said: “A date has not been fixed for completion of the roadway, but it is part of Shannon Development’s five-year development plan. Expenditure timing on this project will be based on the demand for business sites and the availability of funding.

“The cost of the 200 metres of roadway is commercially sensitive information as the private sector will have to tender/compete.”

Clare County Council senior engineer Tom Tiernan said yesterday: “While the council would of course be anxious to be in a position to open the road for public use, it is very difficult to comment further as I don’t know the reason why Shannon Development hasn’t completed the section which would provide a direct link from the Northern Inner Relief Road into the Information Age Park campus.”

The figures show that the council spent €936,181 on costs connected with constructing the road; €481,735 on material and contract works; €207,978 on machinery works; €182,933 on payroll costs; and €63,535 on miscellaneous costs.

Councillor Brian Meaney (Green) said yesterday: “€3.7 million of public money spent and nothing to show for it. It is indefensible and the fault lies squarely with Shannon Development due to its failure to complete the route.

“The agency needs to complete the road as a matter of urgency. This road has already caused upset where a farmer was forced to sell land he didn’t want to sell. The fact that no one has ever used the road only compounds the upset.”