This article is from page 22 of the 2008-04-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 22 JPG
LOCALS in Gillogue near Clonlara will meet tomorrow (Wednesday) night to discuss ongoing concerns they have with the operators of an enterprise centre which is the cause of heavy traffic passing their homes on a daily basis.
The 323,000 sq ft former Burling- ton plant was sold by Shannon De- velopment in controversial circum- stances in 2006 and is now home to several companies including a heli- copter maintenance facility.
Local residents are concerned about safety in the locality, especially with dozens of trucks and other vehicles using the narrow road on a round- the-clock basis.
“As long as the factory was in op- eration, going back many years, we always had concerns about safety, especially along the road where we live which is the main access route to the facility. Now that the plant has changed hands, we still have a number of concerns,” a residents’ spokesman said.
A second meeting due to take place on Thursday has been postponed. Residents were expected to meet the facility’s owners as well as officials from Clare County Council but a spokesman for the plant said that a consultant’s report commissioned by them would not be ready and that they had to postpone the meeting.
The manager of the facility, Brian Whelan, said, “We will do all in our power to alleviate the concerns of locals. When we took ownership of the plant, we promised locals that we would sit down with them and we have already had one meeting. We have already committed to contribut- ing towards the construction of a foot- path and other associated road repairs from Larkin’s Cross to the plant.”
Local councillor Paschal Fitzgerald (Lab) said he had met with the op- erators and local residents and was hopeful that both sides could come to a satisfactory resolution.
The original sale of the former State-owned property at Gillogue was halted early in 2005 after local residents, politicians and business interests expressed concern about the manner in which the sale was being conducted.
Shannon Development pulled out of a deal after the State’s spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Au- ditor General, reviewed the proposed sale. Late in 2006, Shannon Devel- opment finally accepted a tender be- lieved to be worth around €8m from two mid-west-based businessmen for the purchase of the former factory and 27 acres of land. The company retained 89 of the 116 acres at the site although it had originally intended selling all the land, along with over 300,000 sq ft of buildings, for just €3.25m.