Re: Re: well what about the developments popping up in the shannonside ?

@PoxyShamrock wrote:

Also, I think I remember reading that An Bórd Pleanála didn’t grant Limerick Racecourse permission to relocate to Coonagh so I think the track might be in the market field for another few years to come.

I remember seeing the following article in the Post a few weeks back, If you believe the source it would seem that the Ennis road proposal is now dead! Clare County Council had concerns about its potential impact on traffic and refused to give the project the go-ahead! Im not sure how much they paid for the site but no doubt Bord na gCon have taken a fairly big financial hit on this one!

Originally the favoured location was a site at the old Greenpark Racecourse, however this was abandoned due to poor ground conditions. The new stadium will cost in the region of €10 million, they could do with getting a move on because the markets field is a bit of a sick joke at this stage!:(

Fires spark track move
Exclusive by John O’Shaughnessy

Fire crew met with stones and bottles

ONGOING vandalism in the precincts of the Limerick Greyhound Track once again raised its ugly head last Saturday when a patron’s van, parked close to the main entrance, was deliberately set ablaze, as the St Leger Classic was in progress. Fire crew who attended the scene were met with bottles and stones.

Dick O’Sullivan, newly appointed chairman of Bord na gCon, alerted, and saddened, at the multitude of problems faced by Limerick greyhound followers, and agreeing to the unsuitability of the Markets Field as a venue, vowed this Wednesday to speed up the development of a new facility on the outskirts of the city.

“The Bord had purchased land on the Ennis Road two years ago, but we hit a few snags in securing planning permission. I can now reveal that Bord officials, together with surveyors, recently walked and inspected six landbanks in other parts of Limerick, and we hope to make an important announcement within a month. For obvious reasons, we don’t want to identify any of the sites just yet. We are more determined than ever to move out of the Markets Field”.
When a fire brigade crew arrived to extinguish the blaze last Saturday, bottles and stones were thrown at them by vandals.

This was just one of a string such incidents in recent months.

Said a track spokesperson: “The owner of the vehicle, an elderly man, from Clare, was distraught”.

A front window was smashed and the driver’s seat set alight.

According to Limerick Fire Station, they were called to the scene at 22.19, and were met with a shower of stones and bottles. “Such behaviour is nothing new to our crews but we don’t make a major issue of it. We are regularly called out to car fires outside the track”.

Eamonn Cronin, of the Limerick and Clare Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association, told the Post that there had been a spate of incidents similar to last Saturday’s.

“What’s happening is a scandal. Cars are regularly set on fire, windows are smashed, rear view mirrors stolen and broken, patrons intimidated…the difficulties are endless. I don’t know what sort of society we are living in. This is a busy area any time of day or night, and yet these things are allowed to occur. The St Leger is a high profile event with enthusiasts travelling from all over the country, and it is not nice for them to leave Limerick with this sort of image. It doesn’t happen at other tracks”.

Mr O’Sullivan said he was very concerned at the anti-social behaviour, and promised immediate improved security outside the Markets Field, with gardai on patrol.

While the Bord has their own security in place on the inside of the ground, they are not permitted to take up duties outside.

It has been confirmed that Bord officials are negotiating for improved car parking facilities close to the Markets Field, pending the announcement of a new location.

According to Limerick Fire Station, they were called to the scene at 22.19, and were met with a shower of stones and bottles. “Such behaviour is nothing new to our crews, but we don’t make a major issue of it. We are regularly called out to car fires outside the track”.

Eamonn Cronin, of the Limerick and Clare Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association, told the Post that there had been a spate of incidents similar to last Saturday’s.

“What’s happening is a scandal. Cars are regularly set on fire, windows are smashed, rear view mirrors stolen and broken, patrons intimidated…the difficulties are endless. I don’t know what sort of society we are living in. This is a busy area any time of day or night, and yet these things are allowed to occur. The St Leger is a high profile event with enthusiasts travelling from all over the country, and it is not nice for them to leave Limerick with this sort of image. It doesn’t happen at other tracks”.

Mr O’Sullivan said he was very concerned at the anti-social behaviour, and promised immediate improved security outside the Markets Field, with gardai on patrol.

While the Bord has their own security in place on the inside of the ground, they are not permitted to take up duties outside.

It has been confirmed that Bord officials are negotiating for improved car parking facilities close to the Markets Field, pending the announcement of a new location.

Limerick Post