Aqua park planned for lakeshore

The tourism and visitor offering in Killaloe is set to be enhanced significantly with plans to develop an aqua park consisting of inflatable amenities on the edge of Lough Derg at Ogonnelloe, two miles from Killaloe.

Clare County Council has received a planning application from West Lake Aqua Park for permission to put in an inflatable floating obstacle course at the existing lakeside amenity site at Twomilegate. Two 40-foot containers, one to be used as a check-in facility for the new amenity, and one for use as changing facilities, also form part of the planning application.

The plan is being supported by both Waterways Ireland and tourism representatives in Clare who have told the local authority that the project is in line with the vision to maximise the potential for tourism around Lough Derg.

The acting head of Clare tourism Deirdre O' Shea said the project would provide a dynamic product for Killaloe and surrounding areas.

Waterways Ireland Western Regional Manager Enna Rowe described the project as a new an innovative business that would prove an economic and social dividend both to the local area and to the entire region, as well as providing direct and indirect employment.

Mr Rowe said Waterways Ireland had already approved a licence to West Lake Aqua Park to operate at the site.

Consultants involved in the project have informed the council that the existing septic tank servicing the public toilets on the site was in good working order. It is proposed that those using the proposed new facility would be able to avail of the existing toilets as well as portaloos already installed on the site.

This arrangement would be adequate pending a planned upgrade of the sewage treatment facilities on the site, the consultants submitted.