Longford council hears camper van parking under review

The practice of parking camper vans overnight in carp parks at scenic spots around the county is under review by Waterways Ireland a recent meeting of Longford County Council heard.

The matter came to light when the issue of camper van parking at Clondra was raised when Waterways Ireland representatives spoke to the local authority.

Clondra is one of 52 harbours controlled by Waterway Ireland on the Shannon. The issue was brought to the attention of the meeting by Cllr Seamus Butler who said: “There is a significant issue with people parking camper vans overnight. This is a problem between Easter and December. It can be difficult for people living in the area, some of whom are elderly or have poor health.”
Cllr Butler posed the questions: “It's a busy busy area. The council have provided the parking for people using the facilities in the area, very often those places are jammed. Is there anyway we can prevent this happening? Can you advise how we could deal with this?”

In his response Patrick Harkin, WI's Inspector of Navigation, said: “This is an issue we have identified over the last number of years across the island of Ireland. We are currently drafting a strategy covering motor homes, camping and such activities across the Waterways Ireland sites.

“It's in the final stage of draft, in 2024 we will be engaging with all the local authorities across the country on how we will roll out our strategy for car parks.”