Councillors in Tipperary pass motion to create plan to clean up area of Cashel

A motion was passed at the recent monthly Tipperary/Cahir/Cashel MD asking for the council to develop a master plan in order to solve issues in the Waller’s Lot area of Cashel. The aim of the master plan is to address traffic management and road safety improvements, provision and organisation of car parking, address dereliction and vacancy, tackle unauthorised developments in the area and for the council to provide ongoing maintenance to enhance public and private properties in the area.

The motion was brought forward by Fine Gael councillors, Mary Hanna Hourigan and Declan Burgess and Fianna Fáil Cllr Roger Kennedy.

“Cashel is a historic town with a huge number of visitors. These visitors stop at the Mcdonald's and Circle K and it’s embarrassing as they’re met with dereliction, mounds of clay, animals that are unsupervised looking in the bins for food. It’s just appalling what’s there,” said Cllr Mary Hanna Hourigan.

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Cllr Hourigan told the meeting that in 2021 herself and other councillors had a meeting with various stakeholders about the issues in the Wallers Lot area of Cashel. “We had great hope after that meeting but I see no improvement. Tidy Towns and other community groups don’t see any improvement,” said Cllr Hourigan.

Cllr Declan Burgess told the meeting that he felt another stakeholders meeting was needed to resolve the ongoing issues in the area.

“It is chaotic. There’s obviously concerns raised by all elected members about animal safety, horses and wild dogs,” said Cllr Burgess.

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Cllr Burgess also mentioned illegal structures in the area and said that he would like to see progress made in having them dealt with by the council.

“We need to sit down and see what progress has been made and what needs to be pushed on,” he explained.

Cllr Roger Kennedy said he agreed with both councillors about the issues in this area of the town. “It is a blight on the town,” he said.

Independent Cllr Liam Browne said “As a councillor I am disgusted and disappointed with how Waller’s Lot has been allowed to become a worsening issue in Cashel. It’s not as if it’s happened over a short period of time, it’s been going on for years. The whole area has been neglected by the council and by other agencies. By business people in the area, it’s been allowed to deteriorate. We should be ashamed,” said the Cashel-based councillor.

Cllr Browne said that the council’s response to the motion, suggesting that a soft approach to the problem be taken, will not work. Cllr Browne also said that having more meetings about the problem will not solve anything. One solution he suggested was for councillors to ask the Gardai, HSE, Tusla and the council to do more. “I’m sick of having great ideas but no action,” he concluded.

“I’m sick of having great ideas but no action,” concluded the councillor.