Call made for improvement of facilities at west Sligo beaches
THERE was a call to improve facilities at two west Sligo beaches at a recent Ballymote-Tubbercurry Municipal District meeting.
Cllr Michael Clarke had motions on the agenda in relation to facilities at Dunmoran strand and at Aughris pier and Trawee beach. The Independent councillor said that last summer “thousands of people had flocked to the coastline”and he said that locals were anxious to get involved in improving the access and the facilities at the beaches.
Cllr Clarke's first motion called on the council to liaise with Skreen-Dromard Community Council with regard to development of facilities at Dunmoran beach, including an extension to the car park, provision of showers, changing rooms, toilets and to widen and upgrade the road to the beach. He was told by acting chief executive Tom Kilfeather that the council would liaise with the commuity council. However, he said that there was no funding available at present to extend the car park or to provide permanent toilets, changing rooms or shower units.
But he said the council did provide a disabled and regular toilet during the bathing season. Mr Kilfeather said that the council do not get grants for widening local roads such as this but two passing bays were provided last year and the council would look at locations where the carriageway could be widened and more passing bays provided.
He said that while they would have to give priority to providing toilets facilties at Enniscrone and Rosses Point, where this was needed for the beach to retain its Blue Fag, he said they would try and improve toilet facilities at other beaches.
“We took a lot of flak in relation to toilets facilities last summer and we will seek to improve the visitor experience for this year,” he said. Cllr Clarke said that he hoped that when Enniscrone was done that they would be able to provide permanent facilities at Dunmoran. Cllr Clarke also asked that the council liaise with TARA (Templeboy-Aughris Rural Action) regarding development of facilities at Aughris pier and the provision of showers, changing rooms and toilets at Trawee beach.
He also asked for a car park to be developed, for the wall on the bridge to be repaired and for the erection of warning signs for people to keep dogs on leads.
Mr Kilfeather told him that the council would liaise with TARA but that there was no funding for the provision of new facilities there at present.
However, he said that the bridge wall, which was damaged last year, would be repaired early in 2021. A pipe/culvert will be placed in the river bed and the parapet wall will be built further from the carriageway. Cllr Clarke said that this was good news.