Clare County Council has awarded a €398,547 contract to Leicester, England-based company Haley Sharpe Design Ltd to create a 20 year strategy for the Cliffs of Moher visitor facilities.
The €398,547 Cliffs of Moher Strategy 2040 contract is almost €100,000 more than the €300,000 that Clare County Council said it would pay consultants to create a strategy for a revamp of the visitor facilities at the Cliffs of Moher earlier this year.
According to The Irish Times, in the tender documentation, the council makes the case for additional visitor infrastructure at the cliffs on the basis that the existing system at the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience are "sub-standard" and the attraction "is a victim of its own success".
The existing infrastructure at the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience was designed to cater for approximately 400,000 visitors annually. However, approximately one and a half million people visited the cliffs last year and it is thought that the number of annual visitors will rise to close to two million by 2025.
"Put Off By Queues"
Critiquing the current visitor facilities at the cliffs, Clare County Council stated that "visitors are put off by queues at all service points, toilets and restaurant. At times, visitors may not be able to gain entry to the visitor centre due to the crowds".
Haley Sharpe Design Ltd has been tasked with creating a masterplan for the cliffs' visitor facilities that includes a café and retail design concept, appropriate interpretative concepts and costings, and toilet facilities.
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