Major development for Cliffs of Moher to get underway

CLARE County Council are set to move forward with their development plan for the Cliffs of Moher.

The Cliffs of Moher 2040 Strategy focuses on the setting out of "a long-term vision for the sustainable development of the world-class visitor attraction over the next 20 years", according to the Executive Summary of the strategy.

The preliminary draft of the strategy was published last month, and lays out the four key initiatives for the development of the Cliffs of Moher as a tourist attraction; providing sustainable access, optimising the world class experience, transforming the natural landscape, and enhanced economic benefits across the region.

The first stage of the plan to get underway will be the construction of a new park-and-ride hub at Lisdoonvarna, announced by the council at the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon during a public consultation last week.

The draft strategy found that traffic congestion was the greatest concern for the community in the Cliffs of Moher area, with 223 local residents in total reporting it as a serious disruption.

Director of Tourism at Clare County Council, Leonard Cleary says the project is the first of many in the pipeline. The plan will also see the re-wilding of an existing section of the R478 car park, which would then be developed with a footbridge to provide an additional ecotourism option.

The council will submit a planning application in the coming months to develop the park-and-ride facility, which is forecast to reduce private car traffic en-route to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren.

However locals have raised concerns over the development, claim it only aims to maximise tourist output in the region and will leave them behind.

Colm O’Leary from the Fanore Development Group says the plan has completely neglected the adverse impact facing his community.