Almost €100,000 spent on battle with Limerick Travellers

LIMERICK Council has spent virtually €100,000 in a battle with Travellers who’re occupying a halting web site on the outskirts of the town.

There are a variety of caravans parked on the land close to Coonagh Cross, which have been deemed to be there illegally.

Meaning they’re there with out correct planning permission.

Information obtained by the Limerick Chief below the Freedom of Data Act reveals a value to the taxpayer of no less than €72,500 in charges associated to planning enforcement instances in relation to the location close to Coonagh Cross.

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In easy phrases, planning enforcement means guaranteeing legal guidelines round planning are complied with. It offers with those that flout the regulation by ignoring, or not complying with the planning course of. The knowledge from the council reveals that 30 of those planning enforcement instances had been taken between 2022 and January of this yr.

A major variety of these instances ended up in courtroom.

On prime of this, the council added that, as of January, a complete of €12,449.51 had been spent to clear waste from across the halting web site.

Solicitor Will Leahy, who represented the native authority in courtroom final month in a case the place Travellers on the web site had breached enforcement orders, stated that €16,000 had now been spent clearing up garbage on the web site on the northside.

This, mixed with the €72,500 taking instances to courtroom, means a complete of €88,500 has been spent to date by council.

Nevertheless, this determine might properly be larger, with the council referencing the difficulties in producing correct sums in the case of authorized instances.

In correspondence associated to the Freedom of Data request, the native authority acknowledged: “It’s tough to be exact when calculating authorized prices in relation to ongoing authorized points. Usually, the ultimate bill is distributed as soon as the case has been closed and in lots of instances, there are lots of adjournment in an effort to enable the defendants to adjust to the phrases of the enforcement discover”.

Amongst different issues, the instances associated to the unauthorised occupation of a caravan, unauthorised caravans and unauthorised autos.

Final month, council launched authorized motion in opposition to numerous Travellers in that space to maneuver their caravans to permit contractors begin work on the €31m Coonagh to Knockalisheen highway.

The long-awaited hyperlink is ready to supply a second entrance into Moyross.