Month: September 2005

THE Ennis couple that received over €100,000 and two free sites from a devel- oper after they withdrew their objection to a housing development planned, have lodged a fresh objection against a new residential plan proposed by the same developer.

Last year, it emerged that Vincent and Ann Coffey of Clonroad, Ennis, withdrew their objection against a €20 million housing scheme at the Quin Road, Doora, by Luxury Homes (Galway) Ltd, after the company paid them over €100,000 and gave them two free sites.

However, the Coffeys successfully blocked a subsequent application by the same de-

velopers to build a new €10 million devel- Opment on zoned lands in Ennis after they lodged an objection against the proposal.

Last month, Luxury Homes (Galway) Ltd. lodged plans with the Council for 108 two- bedroom apartments at Doora, Ennis.

The proposal lies in the adjacent field to the development that was turned down last year, due to the Coffey’s opposition.

In their objection against the new proposal, the Coffeys stated concerns over the devel- opment relating to traffic safety, the layout of the scheme and the density of the proposal.

A number of residents in the existing Bru- ach na hAbainn estate have also objected to the proposal.

In their objection, the Coffeys state, “The

density of the proposal is excessive when taken in context with the established pattern of development in the area. This submission simply seeks to maximize density to the det- riment of the future residents of the area.

“This disintegrated zonal separation of res- idential areas, traffic routes and open space being created by the proposal is undesirable and no effort is being made to integrate it with the adjoining permitted development, carried out by the current applicant.”

Expressing concerns over the nature con- servation of the area, the Coffeys state, “The site of the proposal is in the callows of the River Fergus.

‘These lands are rich in wildlife and this is an area of scientific interest. This develop-

ment if permitted will destroy this important habitat adjoining the river and is contrary to the proper planning and development of the area.”

The Board Pleanala Inspector’s report, which revealed the payment made to the Coffeys on the previous application, re- counts a letter from the Coffeys that at no time did they approach the developers with the intention of securing payment of money, gifts, consideration of other inducement by any person.

Managing Director of Luxury Homes (Galway) Ltd, Sean Cleary was yesterday unavailable for comment. A decision 1s due on the application in October.

EXCITING advances are currently being made in the mobile telecoms sector and Shannon Free Zone firm Tecnomen Ltd., is at the very cutting edge of these innovations.

The Shannon company is engaged in ground- breaking research and development of various prepaid charging and messaging applications that utilise “next generation’ technologies.

It is developing sophisticated and integrated systems solutions for telecom operators and service providers worldwide These solutions enable the provision of complex telecoms serv- ices.

The innovative Finnish multinational finds

Shannon to be a very advantageous global R&D, production and logistics base. “Excellent Skilled labour, tax incentives and business in- frastructure, coupled with a strategic location beside an international airport are among the chief reasons why we have located such a cen- tral part of our global operation at Shannon’’, said Vesa Kemppainen, Chief Operating Of- ficer, Tecnomen Group.

Tecnomen markets its products and services through its own worldwide organisation and through global and local partners such as No- kia, Siemens and Nortel Networks. Founded in 1978, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. With customers in over 50 countries and offices in 12, it recorded net sales of €51.5m last year, up almost 14% on 2003.

With 65% of its 125-strong workforce en- gaged in Research & Development, the Shan- non facility is a key R&D Centre for the Cixe)tioy

“We handle all R&D for the Prepaid Charg- ing business, as well as jointly working with the parent company in developing new messag- ing products’, explained Philip Hayes, Director of Charging Solutions with Tecnomen.

“The availability of a highly educated and skilled workforce locally offers the group a vital competitive advantage in terms of inno- vation and product development. Most of our R&D staff are third-level graduates drawn from nearby colleges in Limerick, Cork and Galway”, added Mr Hayes.

Shannon is the sole manufacturing and glo- bal distribution operation within the Tecnomen Group. Product is shipped by air from the air- port to leading telecoms operators throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Central and Latin America.

The company provides customers with com- plete solutions to suit their particular market segments, including software licences, hard- ware, installation and training services and maintenance and support functions.

The fastest growing market for Tecnomen charging products is Latin America where sales grew by over 90% last year alone. One of its main customers in that market is America Movil, the region’s leading mobile operator

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WHEELCHAIR users in Lahi- nch are annoyed that an oppor- tunity to make the streets more Wheelchair accessible was not availed of during footpath recon- struction at the seaside town.

There were claims this week that Clare County Council re-laid the footpaths on the main street in Lahinch without any dishing to allow disability access.

Clare County Councillor Brian Meaney is now demanding that all street improvements under- taken by Clare County Council have regard for the access re- quirements for the disabled.

“Representations have been made to me from wheelchair us- ers, angry that the opportunity to make the street more useable to them was not availed of during footpath reconstruction in one of the county’s best-known seaside resort towns,’ said the Green Party Councillor.

“After reviewing the fact, I have to say I share their anger.”

Cllr Meaney spoke of seeing people in wheelchairs making their way along the street in traf- fic looking for a place to gain ac-

cess onto the footpath.

He is requesting that Clare County Council remedy this oversight immediately, as it is also in contravention of the Coun- ty Development Plan guidelines on access and mobility which states, “The design of new devel- opments and public open space should have regard to the needs of people with disabilities.

“It is clear that no regard has been given to the needs of peo- ple in wheelchairs and yet we are trying to promote Lahinch, and Clare in general, as a tourist des- tination for all.”

Cllr Meaney has spoken with management in Clare County Oro triTere Mm coscx-V Cu tercmmmmdeDKcmmmpONT- Nes ter and has asked for consulta- tion with the various disability eroups to identify locations on the footpaths suitable for disabil- LALO

“Not only is this a disability issue, it is also an equality 1s- sue and I will be writing to the equality officer with Clare Coun- ty Council to put in place proce- dures to ensure such an oversight does not occur in the future” concluded Cllr Meaney.

FOR 20 years, Fanore man Joe Queally has been travelling to the Blasket islands.

This week, Joe sets out again to follow in the footsteps of his literary hero, Tomas O Criomh- WerenOOP

Located off the tip of the Dingle Peninsula, the Blaskets don’t seem the most obvious location to spend a month on holi- CMA

Great Blasket Island comprises 1,100 acres of unspoilt, | mountainous Keeney

It is four miles long and half a mile wide.

For Joe, the attraction has always been a spir- itual one.

“My biggest reason for going out to the Blaskets has always been my fas- cination with the island people.

“IT wanted to walk in the footsteps of Tomas O Criomhthain, Peig Sayers and Muiris O’Sullivan.

“There’s an awful lot of fascination to be able Ke say I stayed in Tomas O Criomhthain’s house. It is very special to me.

“There 1S one room 1n Tigh an Ri where John Millington Synge wrote a lot of the

BEING crowned _ the ‘International — Festival Queen of Ireland’ has cer- tainly not gone to Kinvara woman Emma Kilkelly’s head as the 19-year-old seems to have both her feet firmly on the ground.

Just hours after win- ning the prestigious title, which is competed for by the winners of regional festivals from all over Ire- land and beyond, Emma was on her way to Mos- ney for the finals of the community games.

After celebrating her victory late into’ the evening of Friday August 26 the GMIT business student made the journey to Mosney early on Sat- urday morning to referee the camogie semi finals playoff between Cork and Offaly.

“I knew I had commit- ted myself to refereeing the match but I had no idea I was going to win the tile,” said an overjoyed Emma. “To be honest I’ve

been coming to Mosney all my life as a competi- tor and now as a referee and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Emma qualified to take OV MBD MMO MBKION EU MEDAN being crowned the Gort Show Queen, an achieve- ment which also qualified her to compete for the Galway Rose Competi- tion. She was also select- ed as the Banrion at the Gouterievlempercmpeelar:(eme aloe val and The Oyster Pearl at the 50th International Galway Oyster Festival.

The International Fes- tival Queen of Ireland Sores} orem isco me meue- Hever! by Dundalk man Mr. Pat- sy Rogers and involved a formal interview on Fri- day evening followed by an interview live on stage later that night.

Emma was joined at the festival by her fam- ily, friends and support- ers, along with her spon- sor, Patricia Kilkelly of Streams Beauty Rooms im ecoum

: “Centres like Lahinch Seaworld were never designed to make money. They are not profit making machines and if they do make a profit, it is a bonus. The value in Lahinch Seaworld is the resource it provides to the community.

He added: “I would like to congratulate the direc- tors, management and

staff for reducing the an- nual loss and the net debt by €80,000. While the balance sheet isn’t as healthy as one would like, its value is the superb facilities it provides for the community and for schools in the area.

OT OO e\ ab ab elo added: “More _ facilities like Lahinch Seaworld are needed.”

The complex employs 30 people and during the Win- ter months provides facili- ties for 40 schools in North and West Clare — while this year has added a steam room to the range of facili- ties on offer.

Sroleieter i Ceyme comm seco leuee Clare area, Martin Lafferty said: “Any resort like Lahi- nch needs a centre like La- hinch Seaworld. It is a tre- mendous development for Lahinch, while also provid- ing employment in the area.

Cllr Lafferty added: “I wouldn’t be overly con- cerned with the losses and I would urge the Council to maintain its annual con- tribution and interest in the centre.”

The accounts show that the Council guarantees loans

and overdrafts for Lahinch Seaworld to the amount of €317,000.

Now in its ninth year of operation, Lahinch Sea- world is a community-based initiative that has provided an added dimension to Lahinch’s long-standing reputation as being one of Clare’s most popular sea- side resorts.

Benefiting from over €2.5 million in EU money, the lo- cal community ensured that

the centre would become an extra tourism resource to Lahinch after individu- als from Lahinch and sur- rounding towns and villages including Ennistymon, Lis- cannor and Miltown Malbay contributed over €650,000 to the scheme.

The accounts for the end of October 2004 show that the centre had a turnover of €695,000 with a gross profit of €607,000.

However, the cost of run- ning the centre stood at €621,000 leaving an oper- ating loss of €14,000 and this led to an overall loss of €33,000 after charges of €19,000 in interest and other charges.

The accounts also show that €304,000 was paid to the 29 staff at the centre in 2004. Lahinch Seaworld also has assets worth €1.5 million.

CONTENTIOUS plans by fast-food g1- ant, McDonalds, to develop a drive-thru restaurant in Ennis hang in the balance.

An Bord Pleanala has informed the company that its present proposal for the Sheils’ garage site on the Ennis-Galway Road may seriously injure nearby resi- dential amenities through noise, general disturbance and fumes.

As a result, the appeals board has re- quested McDonalds submit revised draw- ings for an amended proposal.

In a letter to the appellants in the case, the appeals board stated that the Inspec- tor’s report in the case was complete and that the matter was now at board level.

One of the opponents of the McDonalds proposal, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP), this week welcomed the board’s intervention.

He said, “It shows that the appeals board is considering all aspects of the proposal and that is to be welcomed.”

Earlier this year, Ennis Town Council refused planning permission for a fast- food outlet in the Lifford area, ruling that it would injure the residential amenities of Wetomr- Baste

Cllr Meaney said: “I would hope that

An Bord Pleanala would follow the exam- ple of the town council in refusing plan- pup panee

It is just a pity that the council did not recognise the negative impact the Mc- Donalds proposal would have on the resi- dents on the nearby Galway Road, when allowing the proposal to go ahead.”

Cllr Meaney and the other appellant in the case, Cllr Donal O’Bearra (GP) will now have an opportunity to make submis- sions on the revised proposals put forward by McDonalds.

Last year, the McDonalds proposal sparked a national debate on the impact of fast food on diets, after the Mid-West- ern Health Board’s Department of Health Promotion objected because of concerns about children’s health.

The Department demanded that Mc- Donalds carry out an Environmental Im- pact Statement (EIS) into possible health impacts on the local population, before the application be further considered.

However, the Health Board soon dis- tanced itself from this objection with the then chief executive, Stiofan de Burca de- claring that the objection was a personal statement by the community dieticians fey ileroru ileee

RESIDENTS in the Ballybeg area of Ennis have claimed that conten- tious plans for a 120-residential unit proposed by McCarthy Bros will lead to a devaluation of property in iW elom-N Kore

In the next number of days, Clare County Council is expected to rule on the plan by the Ennis construc- tion firm to develop 120 homes at Ballybeg on the western side of Ennis near the main Ennis-Kilrush IWXey- (ee

The development comprises of 40 three-bedroom homes, 47 two- bedroom homes, 5 four-bedroomed homes and 28 apartments.

However, in an objection, backed by a petition from Ballybeg resi- dents, they claim that they are con- cerned that “with an estate of this size, it may have a negative effect on

the value of our property.”

The residents state: “The exist- ing residential housing on the Bal- lybeg Road, consists of low-density Owner-occupied detached family dwellings. The proposed high-den- sity development consisting of apartments and two and three bed- room semi-detached houses would alter the character of the area very significantly.

“The type of development pro- posed would suggest that many of the units will be rental properties and that in general the occupiers will most likely be transitory and car-reliant. It is obvious that such a development would not be in-keep- ing with, or appropriate to, the exist- ing adjoining and surrounding resi- dential houses in the area.

“The availability of an adequate water supply to the proposed devel-

Opment is seriously open to ques- tion. The houses on the Ballybeg Road are already subjected to an in- adequate flow of water.

“Should flow 120 houses be grant- ed, this will do nothing for the water pressure in the existing houses. We request that a hydrological report be completed for this proposed devel- Opment and we are furnished with the information as to how this will affect our already inconsistent water supply.

“The environmental impact of this proposed development would be to destroy an area of natural karst and wildlife — amongst others, a wild goat herd of 38, foxes, hedgehogs and a number of protected floral species.

The residents claim “that the pro- posed development will add noth- ing to the overall atmosphere and

well being of this area. The density of this proposed site is not in keep- ing with the ‘established planning and development practices’ of this area.

“We further raise the question, what potential impacts would a phase two of this type of housing have on the area. We feel that such a development, if allowed, would be used as a precedent and other such developments would quickly follow.

“We, the residents of Ballybeg, are of the opinion that this development should be refused in its entirety.”

On traffic safety, the residents state that “the sightlines for an exit from the proposed development on to the Ballybeg Road is in a danger- ous hollow and will remain totally inadequate and a danger to traffic already on the road and to the traffic emerging onto the road.”

THE success of the book, ‘Name your place’— the brainchild of Club na Sionna — which was printed last year has prompted an updated second edition to be published.

6,000 copies of the book, which is based on placenames (logain- mneacha) were printed last year and an additional 15,000 copies of the second edition will be printed shortly.

Club na Sionna, which incorpo- rates Conradh na Gaeilge and Glor na nGael in Shannon, 1s responsible for the publication.

A large group of people from the Shannon area were involved in the publication of the book, with La- bhras O Donghaile and his wife Sorcha to the fore.

The book is bilingual — the in- troduction in written mainly in English, while the logainmneacha (placenames) are explained in Eng-

lish, throughout the book.

“We have been involved in pla- cenames since 1973,’ said Sean O Nuanain, chairman of Club na Sionna. “People are very interested in placenames, household names and names of businesses and office blocks,” he added.

“There was a great demand, among builders, councillors and es- tate agents. The second edition will include a wider number of business names,” added Mr O Nuanain.

It will be available shortly at branches of Glor na nGael, County Councils, estate agents, tidy towns committees, gaelscoileanna and all Irish organisations throughout Ire- land.

Meanwhile, the Ciorcal Com- hra meets every week at the Wolfe Tones’ clubhouse between 8.45 and 9.45pm. Everyone is being encour- aged to get involved and use the cu- pla focail. The theme is ‘Don’t lose it — use it.’

A PROSECUTION be- ing taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) against a Shannon- based = pharmaceutical plant has been adjourned to October for the service of a Book of Evidence.

The | German-owned Schwarz Pharma firm is accused of nine separate breaches of its Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licence.

State solicitor Martin Linnane told Shannon District Court that the Book of Evidence is not yet ready and the case can, on consent, be ad- journed to the October Ota Mae te te

Initially, the prosecu- tion against the company was being taken by the Environmental — Protec- tion Agency (EPA). How- ever, after Judge Joseph Mangan heard an outline of the evidence against the company in March, he deemed the case too serious to be heard in the

district court.

As a result, the prose- cution is now being taken by the DPP and the mat- ter will be heard in the Circuit Court, where the company faces fines of up to €10 million.

At the company’s ini- tial court appearance in March, the court was told Schwarz Pharma would be pleading guilty to the nine alleged breaches.

The court was told that air emissions from the plant in August 2004, oyale-NeenbarS suspected cancer-causing substanc- es, were found to be 36 times the legal limit.

The company is also facing two __ separate charges of breaching air emission limits in rela- tion to an organic solvent that can affect the central nervous system and cause irritation and headaches.

The company is also accused of filing mis- leading reports with the EPA between November 21, 2003 and August 24,

ples

Six days after the dis- trict court appearance in March, Schwarz Pharma decided on a voluntary basis to suspend certain production ROCA ers which could give rise to emissions exceeding the levels in its Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) granted by the Environ- mental Protection Agen- OVA @ 8) 0 ¥P

The partial shutdown lasted for six weeks be- fore the company recom- menced production in April. To-date, this year, the company has spent €6 million on enhanced environmental controls.

This includes €3 mil- lion on putting in place liquid scrubbers on its pharmaceutical plant and an additional €3 million Spent on a new waste wa- ter treatment plant.

The company currently has an application with the EPA for an updated Integrated Pollution Con- trol (IPC) and a decision is due later this month.