Better camping facilities needed

A call for serviced parking providing electric hook up and fresh water facilities for tourists with camper vans visiting the county was made by Cllr Tom Cunningham at the monthly meeting of Louth County Council.

The Sinn Fein councillor said that Annagassan and Clogherhead were proving very popular with tourists in camper vans, not just with Irish to tourists but also Europeans.

He urged the council to provide services at both these areas as it would attract more tourists to Ireland’s Ancient East.

‘It’s a simple way to attract more tourists to the north east and the Wee County,’ he argued. ‘It’s a way to attract tourists to areas with no B&Bs or hotels.’

Cllr Frank Godfrey warned that what he called ‘ transient travellers’ might use the facilities, He did however, think that the should provide the sites for those who were genuine tourists,

Director of Service Frank Pentony told the councillors that they didn’t have any funding for such a project.

‘I have no plans for the local authority to start operating caravan parks,’ declared Chief Executive Joan Martin. ‘ That’s not our job. It has to be a commercial opportunity for someone to develop.’

‘We couldn’t be setting up caravan parks in opposition to the private sector,’ she continued.

‘I wouldn’t be advocating the local authority to go into the camping and caravan business.’

Cllr Cunningham protested that he was not calling on the council to set up a caravan park but simply provide a parking space where people could hook up to services.

There was such a facility at a petrol station in Omeath where caravans can park overnight.

He believed it would be very easy to put a meter in a space where there was already fresh water and a public toilet which people with camper vans could use to dispose of their waste,

Cllr Kevin Meenan supported the idea saying that it would be an addition to the area where there were not many facilities.

‘Some days you can see ten or eleven camper vans at a time staying overnight,’ he said. ‘ Tourism are coming into the area. It’s not a major facility and I think it’s a fantastic idea.’

He thought it would send out the wrong idea if they didn’t support the proposal.

Cllr Mark Dearey suggested that Cllr Cunningham’s proposal be put on the agenda of the Enterprise Strategic Policy Committee for further discussion,