Month: June 2007

PLANS for a €30 million retail park for Shannon have been turned down. Clare County Council ruled that the plan would be premature pending the preparation of a masterplan for the area.

Last year Greenbrand Investments and Sean Halpin lodged plans to de- velop a mixed-use retail park devel- opment consisting of a DIY anchor store, garden centre, three retail warehouses, 10 retail units, eight of- fice units and one department store.

The council refused planning per- mission for the proposal as it would

materially contravene the South-East Clare Economic Plan.

The report also stated that the “over- all layout and design of the proposed development fails to exploit opportu- nity for development of a key-site in a manner which relates satisfactorily to its siting as a prominent location on the approach to Shannon. There- fore, the proposal seriously injures the visual amenities”.

According to developers the project, located at Smithstown with 15,777m2 in gross floor retail space and 1,336m2 in office space, would “promote growth in a sustainable manner by concentrating develop-

ment in an area adjacent to the town oe) Kemet

They also claimed that their pro- posal “would improve the socio-eco- nomic profile of Shannon and will create additional jobs representing a significant boost to the local econo- neha

A decision was due on the applica- tion in June of last year but the devel- opers requested a year long extension for the council to consider it.

The developers deferred a decision on the application after a planner’s report into the project recommended refusing permission on two grounds.

The developers failed to convince

the planners, while the public con- sultation phase for the drawing up of a Shannon area masterplan will start in a few weeks.

The proposal attracted a number of objections. The promoters of the €135 million redevelopment of Shannon also expressed concern.

The Shannon Town Centre Man- agement Company stressed that it was not opposed to appropriate retail development but said that to “dis- perse the focus of department stores and other large floorplates from the defined core area” was inappropriate with redevelopment still in the early SE Toe

ENNIS Town Council has intro- duced a raft of new measures aimed at streamlining the chamber’s deci- sion-making process.

The council undertook a review of the standing orders governing meet- ings of Ennis Town Council follow- ing debate over the effectiveness of current procedures.

Changes were adopted regarding notices of motion, the order of busi- ness, the date of and timing of meet- ings and the suspension of standing orders.

Explaining the reasons for the changes, town manager Jom Cough- lan said greater clarity was needed for the council to operate more ef- fectively. Mr Coughlan was speak- ing at the June meeting of Ennis steam Oretiene

He said, ““We had a situation at one meeting where we took a decision on an issue and then changed it at anoth- er meeting. The discussion should be on the accuracy of the minutes as op- posed to the decision taken”.

Responding to a question put for- ward by Green Party councillor Donal O’Bearra, Mr Coughlan said councillors did not have to wait un- til monthly meetings to raise council

seek ne

“You can raise issues at any time and we will try to get you an answer. These changes are useful for the pur- pose of the council actually having achieved something at the meeting.”

The amendments, which drew the most debate, were those concerning notices of motion.

Under the new system “any mem- ber of the council may submit a ques- tion for inclusion in the agenda in the Same manner as a notice of motion maybe submitted under standing or- der number 14.

“Each such question shall be sub- ject to the rules relating to notice of motion as defined under standing order number 19. Questions shall be dealt with by written reply without discussion.

Concern was raised over the revised standing order that bans discussion of responses given to notices of mo- tion. Green Party councillor Donal O’Bearra question what councillors could do if they were unhappy with the response.

Mayor of Ennis Joe Reidy (FF) said the changes were needed.

“The order of business was being skipped from one meeting to the oth- er and the important stuff was being left out.”

CLARE Mayor Flan Garvey will meet with Nova Scotia’s tourism minister this week to discuss the possibility of establishing a direct air link between the

west of Ireland and

the Canadian prov-

nNeon

The Shannon-

Halifax link was

first proposed last

August when the

two public’ rep-

resentatives met

at the Milwaukee

Irish Festival in

Wisconsin. It 1s anticipated that this week’s meet-

ing will lead to a submission being made to a transat- lantic carrier regarding the proposed os ats (Len

Commenting on the proposal, Minister Len Goucher, a former em- ployee of Air Canada, said that the establishment of a direct flight from Nova Scotia to the West of Ireland would be of huge benefit to both re- gions.

“I would love to see a direct air link being established between our provincial capital of Halifax and

Shannon. Air Canada currently flies from Halifax to London but it is my intention to push for a similar service directly into Ireland,” he said. Mayor Garvey highlighted the cul- tural links between Nova Scotia and Ireland and _ said that a direct air service would not only serve to ce- ment these links but would provide a platform to boost tourism on _ both sides of the Atlan- non Nova Scotia 1s located on Cana- da’s south-eastern coast and is the country’s second smallest province with a population on just under one million people. Thousands of Irish people emigrated to the region dur- ing the 18th and 19th centuries. An estimated 500-1000 Nova Scotians are fluent Irish speakers. Most of these live in Antigonish County or on Cape Breton Island. Mayor Garvey is scheduled to meet with Minister Goucher in Halifax on Friday.

RESIDENTS in Doolin have warned that additional holiday homes in the village will result in a “dead” settle- ment for much of the year.

Residents in the resort have lodged an objection with Clare County Council to plans by Bespoke Devel- opment to construct four new holiday homes and a 20 bedroom extension to the existing Tir Gan Ean Hotel.

Bespoke Developments have been to the forefront in the building of holiday homes across Doolin.

A submission made on behalf of the company to the council stated a second phase of the Tir Gan Ean hotel was envisaged, however, the developers were not confident that a hotel development of this size would be economically viable.

It goes on: “However, after operat- ing the 12 bed hotel for the past year, a strong demand for more accommo- dation has been identified and this application reflects the operators’ ereater understanding of the require- ments of the market.”

However, the objection lodged claims that “there is no need for more holiday homes or for more long term rental properties in Doolin at present. There are already 65 holli- day homes built or in the process of

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‘Further development is premature in the absence of a public sewage sys- tem… acting on the precautionary principle, the development is prema- ture. We have no objection in princi- ple to the hotel extension when the public sewage system is installed.

Giving a breakdown of develop- ment in Doolin, the objectors state that there are 38 private homes in Doolin, 30 holiday homes and 28 homes with B&B accommodation.

The residents also point out that there are 35 holiday homes located at the Coogyulla Cross area of Doolin with only nine private residences.

The residents state: “Providing more owner occupied houses would result in a “dead” settlement cluster/ village for much of the year and will do nothing but adversely impact on the existing economy because there are a substantial number of locals de- pendent on a short holiday period to sustain their business. This “organic” economy will be sacrificed if devel- opments of this nature are allowed to Ree e

“The sewage treatment plant is out- side the zoned area and the village settlement boundaries and should not be permitted for this reason.”

A decision is due on the application later this year.

A TABLE rating the efficiency of shopping centres, which puts Shan- non third from the bottom in the country is seriously flawed, accord- ing to SkyCourt’s manager.

The Crest Shopping Centre pro- ductivity review, published in the na- tional media recently, rates Skycourt third worst of 50 centres rated coun- trywide, coming after the Jetland Shopping Centre in Limerick and the Nutgrove centre in Dublin.

But Pat Kelly, manager of Sky- Court Shannon said that the review ‘is flawed and is based on inaccurate information. Crest has told me that

their survey has estimated the aver- age SkyCourt rent at E60 per sq. ft. In fact, the average rent here is sub- stantially less than that figure and in some cases is almost 60 per cent lower.”

He said that the survey also claimed that footfall Ge numbers of shoppers visiting a centre) is falling through- out the country. The opposite is the case at SkyCourt where footfall has increased by an average of 10/15 per cent per annum over three years.

“It 1s regrettable that Crest didn’t check the basic figures with us before publishing their review. As a result, their assessment of SkyCourt is both inaccurate and unfair,” he said.

THRESHOLD’S new housing ad- vice centre at the Citizens Informa- tion Centre in Ennis was officially launched by Threshold Midwest Co-ordinator Louise Kennedy in the Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis last week.

The outreach service which will be held on the second Tuesday of every month will provide free and confi- dential information, advice and sup- port for people with housing prob- anak

According to Citizens Informa- tion Centres Manager, Paul Woulfe, the service is seeing an increasing number of housing related queries and welcomes the intervention that this new service can provide.

Speaking at the launch, Louise Kennedy said Threshold was com-

mitted to helping the people of Clare to secure and maintain good quality housing suited to their needs.

“Our longer-term plans include a placement service that will help vul- nerable people who need our help to get private rented accommodation.”

Threshold can intervene before problems become unmanageable by negotiating with the landlord or by helping the tenant to locate alterna- tive accommodation.

“We can also support a tenant to take a dispute with their landlord to the Private Residential Tenancies Board.”

Threshold is a national not-for-prof- it organisation established in 1978. Threshold’s housing advice serv- ices are focused on people who are in greatest need of support, mainly people living at the low-priced end

of the rented market, people living in social housing, and people who are homeless.

“The number of immigrants seek- ing Threshold’s help is also growing eyetslelore-l eas

Threshold provides advice on hous- ing rights, mediates with landlords or local authorities on behalf of tenants with problems and supports tenants who bring disputes to the Private Residential Tenancies Board.

“Last year Threshold helped over 20,000 people through its advice centres in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Diitouee

People with a housing problem can make an appointment or drop in to the centre. They can also have their query answered by phone 061 405400, email limerick @threshold. ie, or by letter.

RYANAIR Chief Executive Michael O’Leary has confirmed to the Mayor of Clare, Flan Garvey (FF), that his airline will investigate the reopening of daily services between Shannon and Belfast.

O’Leary made the commitment during an hour-long meeting with Clare’s first citizen at Dublin Airport on Wednesday last.

Councillor Garvey said he had a “full and frank meeting” with O’Leary during which issues affect- ing the future growth of the airport and surrounding region were dis- CAN ISSsrer6

“IT impressed upon Mr O’Leary the huge demand that existed north and south for the re-establishing of direct services between Shannon and Bel- fast. Up until Aer Lingus’s decision to drop the route in 2001, the serv- ice was being used by up to 22,000 passengers a year. Aligned with the strong links between County Clare and Northern Ireland, as well as the changing attitudes to air travel, there certainly is potential for the reopen- ing of this route’, the mayor said.

‘“O’Leary confirmed to me that he would immediately request a viabil- ity study into the possible reopening of the air link.”

Aer Lingus dropped the Belfast/ Shannon leg of its New York service

from Belfast International Airport just three weeks after the terrorist attacks on New York in September 2001. At the time the airline said the move was made as part of its re- sponse to the dramatic fall-off in de- mand being experienced in the wake of the 911 attacks.

Mayor Garvey said he gave O’Leary a commitment, on behalf of Clare County Council that any new service to and from Shannon International Airport would be promoted by the local authority.

“Mr O’Leary who spoke very

honestly about Ryanair’s position at Shannon expressed to me his fears that some existing Ryanair services will require greater support from the people of the entire west of Ireland if they are to remain viable.”

Meanwhile the Ryanair boss ac- cepted Mayor Garvey’s invitation to be a keynote speaker at the annual Clare Tourism Council Conference in Ennistymon, County Clare this November.

CLARE’S newly elected TD’s and Senators are to meet with the Ennis Chamber of Commerce to give an account of themselves and their in- tentions towards issues raised in the chamber’s pre-election manifesto.

Topping the agenda of matters under scrutiny will be the future of Shan- LO) aU bu oem

At the June Monthly Executive Meeting of Ennis Chamber, the board unanimously supported Shannon Town Council in their recent call on the Irish Government to apply to the

European Union for a Public Service Obligation for Shannon Airport. This would enable the airport to at- tract airlines to offer regional serv- ices to Dublin, Belfast and Cork. “Such services are vitally impor- tant in strengthening the airport and would be of huge benefit to business

and commerce in the mid-west’, said chamber CEO, Rita McInerney. Ennis Chamber published its elec- tion manifesto prior to the general election and issued it to all twelve Clare candidates. The first item in this document was Shannon Airport, because, Ms McInerney said, of its

significance as the driver of growth for balanced regional development. “Ennis Chamber plans to meet with the newly elected Clare TDs when a new government has been formed and also with the new Clare senators once appointed to discuss the mani- festo further”, Ms McInerney said.

FORMER senator and newly elected TD, Timmy Dooley, has admitted that his party colleagues in Clare are facing an “uphill” battle in the up- coming Seanad election.

Looking forward to his first term as a ITD, the east Clare Fianna Fail deputy, was predicating a busy time ahead amid fears that his party would not return two senators from the banner county to replace himself and outgoing Senator Brendan Daly.

“It will be more difficult (work- ing in the 30th Dail). In the last ad- ministration we had four Oireachtas members. We now have two,” he said referring to himself and outgoing Minister for Labour Affairs Tony Ono

“We are hopeful that the Seanad will deliver two for us to balance it out but that is going to be an uphill battle with the way the Seanad cam- paign is going,’ he said, just hours before Senator Daly removed his name from the Seanad race.

The most Fianna Fail in Clare can now achieve is one Seanad seat if Cllr Pat Daly is elected. A Taoi- seach’s nomination could secure a second but this 1s thought very un- likely to happen.

“So it is going to be a big job of work for us to try to cover the county and manage the issues that are there,” he said.

Fianna Fail are expected to lose ap- proximately one senator from each panel in the upcoming election due to the make up of the council and the party’s losses in the last local elec- tions.

Poll topper Dooley does not see himself as a junior minister in the upcoming Dail and has resigned himself to the backbenches.

“IT see myself as an active back- bencher working obviously to deliv- erer for the people that have elected me and I think that as a back bench- er, I can work effectively in the same way many back benchers before me have done in the past, having access to government ministers, having a weekly parliamentary party meeting chaired by the Taoiseach addressing the issues together with my colleague Tony Killeen.”

FORTY eight per cent more men in Clare die by suicide each year than the national average.

Death by suicide is the number one cause of death among young Irish men with 12.4 men per 100,000 dy- ing this way every year. In Clare the figure is as high as 18.4 men per 100,000.

The death among women in Clare by suicide is half that of the national average with 6.2 women per 100,000 OND Eom HOBIE WE

The earliest figures from the cen- tral statistics office show that just two people of Clare residence died from suicide in 1980.

In 1985 this number had multiplied by more than five bringing the total number of deaths to 11. In 2005 15 people died from suicide in Clare.

Ireland has an alarmingly high rate of suicide – the fifth highest suicide rate in Europe among 15 to 25 year olds.

The highest rate of suicide is found among young men aged under 35 years – accounting for approximately

40 per cent of all Irish suicides. In general, men are reluctant to seek professional advice to help them cope with difficulties.

The often taboo subject of suicide 1s now being tackled by a new national mental health promotion campaign called “Tough Times”.

This campaign aims to reduce the large number of deaths by suicide by raising awareness of the alternative options available to young people in crisis. It will use a combination of television advertising, poster cam- paign, online marketing and pres- ence at festivals and concerts, radio, newspaper and magazine features to communicate its key message; that everyone goes through tough times and answers are out there.

“Tough Times” encourages young people to realise that it’s normal to experience difficult times and that, however small or big the problem, there are help and support options available. It points young people to- wards www.spunout.ie, which pro- vides fact sheets on a range of health and lifestyle issues, signposts users to relevant help services.