Killaloe
Killaloe Introduction and Context Killaloe was home to the legendary Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland from 1002 to 1014 and is a former capital of Ireland. Remaining important as a market town, Killaloe has enjoyed an upsurge in prosperity, beginning early in the 19th century with the development of commercial traffic on the Shannon Waterway. Killaloe is physically linked by the historic bridge across the Shannon at the southern-most tip of Lough Derg to the settlement of Ballina in County Tipperary. The settlements have a complementary nature and recognising this will allow the expansion of services available to residents of both settlements. Today the towns continue to act as a service and retail centre for the surrounding hinterland in East Clare and North Tipperary. Killaloe plays a strong cultural, retail and community role in the region. Killaloe also has a strong educational function with a major new expansion of St. Anne’s Community College completed in 2019. Under the patronage of Limerick Clare Educational Training Board (LCETB), the school caters for in excess of 570 post-primary students The town has significant appeal for development because of its proximity to Limerick and its location on one of the few crossings over the River Shannon. Killaloe and Ballina have experienced significant pressure for development in recent years. However, in recent times infrastructure deficiencies have constrained development in both towns. Water is supplied from the Killaloe Public Water Supply which is fed from a groundwater source. At the time of preparing this Plan, Irish Water was investigating the possibility of connecting Killaloe to the Newport Water treatment Plant in Tipperary via Ballina to ensure security of supply. Wastewater from Killaloe is treated in Ballina and the existing wastewater treatment plant is currently operating at hydraulic capacity and cannot accommodate any further significant development. The planned upgrade of the Ballina WWTP is scheduled for completion in 2024 as set out in the Irish Water Capital Investment Programme. Until such time as the upgrade has been undertaken any future residential development is constrained. Killaloe and Ballina suffer from significant traffic congestion on the old bridge. A new Shannon river crossing, Killaloe by-pass and upgrade of the R494 was approved by An Bord Pleanala in 2012 to alleviate this problem. Advance works have now started on the project and the main construction period is expected to take 3 years to complete. This Plan provides an Infrastructure Safeguard for the approved route of both the by-pass and the new river crossing. Completion of this project will transform Killaloe and Ballina by reducing travel
__________________________________________________________________________________ Draft Clare County Development Plan 2023-2029
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