‘Scandalous’: Laois councillors slam delays to cleaning of river Barrow
Section of river Barrow was last cleaned over 25 years ago
Laois County Councillors have slammed the long administrative process required to the cleaning of the river Barrow as ‘scandalous’.
Rosenallis Fianna Fáil Cllr Seamus McDonald tabled a motion calling for the Council to clean the river upstream from Ballyclare to Tinnahinch.
“This particular stretch of river hasn’t been cleaned in 25 years. There are trees growing in the river bed, it’s scandalous,” Cllr McDonald said.
The Council’s District Office replied that they will carry out an inspection of Ballyclare bridge and the river Barrow upstream of the bridge to tinnahinch to identify the river channel clearance works required.
“Only the areas within the drainage district will be surveyed. Any river clearance works identified will require the relevant ecological assessments and consent from an Comisiún Pleanála. The works are dependent on available budgets and resources,” the office replied.
Cllr McDonald thanked the office for their reply, but expressed his frustration with the process.
“You shouldn’t have to get permission from An Comisiúin Pleanála to clean the river,” he said.
“There are people living there. At this stage, it’s scandalous that it hasn’t been cleaned.”
Cllr McDonald’s motion was seconded by Cllr Paddy Bracken.
“It should be done, it’s dreadful out there,” Cllr Bracken said.
Cllr Ollie Clooney supported the motion, reflecting on his own fight to clean his local river.
“It’s a hard fight to get a river cleaned. My own river, the Gully, it took six years to get the survey carried out,” Cllr Clooney said.
“It’s very, very slow and painstaking. The days you could drive down to the river and clean it, that’s gone. You’d only be pulling out branches, but it can make an awful difference,” he said.
Cllr Clooney advised Cllr McDonald to ‘keep up the pressure’, that his turn will come.
Cllr James Kelly questioned whether funding from the €100,000 budget dedicated to the drainage of the Barrow could be used for this section of the river.
“I will come back on that, we have lots of works ongoing for the Barrow,” Senior Executive Engineer Rory O’Callaghan replied.
This motion was tabled at the June sitting of Laois County Council’s Borris-in-Ossory / Mountmellick Municipal District.