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Fraud Suspect remanded on Dall

A LIMERICK woman ac- cused of a number of fraud offences in Shannon has been remanded on bail at En- nis District Court.

Anita Hayes, of 65 Delmege Park, Limerick, is accused of

cashing a stolen cheque for €1,900, at AIB in Shannon. She is also accused of pass- ing a stolen Laser card to purchase a combo television at Xtra Vision in Shannon. It’s alleged the offences were committed last January. She is also charged with forgery of a cheque.

Inspector Michael Gal- lagher said he was concerned that the accused was facing a number of “very serious” charges. But the accused was remanded on bail – on her own bond of €100 and an independent surety of €500 – to appear again in court next month.

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Garda warning alter spate of qun tnetts

GARDAI fear that three shotguns stolen in Clare over the weekend may be used for armed crime and have issued a warning to people to keep their firearms secure.

Two “Beretta” under and over double-barrelled shotguns, with a combined value of up to €7,000, were stolen from a car parked outside a licensed premises at Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, on Sunday evening. The owner of the car, a man from East Clare, had been attending a clay pigeon shoot in Kilmurry earlier that day.

A double-barrelled shotgun was stolen from a house at Kilcarroll, on the Kildysart road in Kil- rush, between noon and 6pm on Saturday. This was the second time a shotgun was stolen in the Kilrush area in the past two months. A shotgun was stolen from a parked car at The Square in June.

Gardai are asking owners of firearms not to leave their firearms in vehicles, either locked or unlocked.

“These guns end up in the hands of criminals, who use them for shootings, killings and robber- ies. We are appealing to all gun owners to be ex- tra careful with regard to where they leave their guns. If guns are not cared for as they should be, their licences will not be renewed,’ said Ennis Superintendent John Kerin

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nealth cuts crisis

THE west is to bear the brunt of the biggest job cuts in the health sector, raising fears that the service will be set back 20 years.

There are worries that two of Ennis’s hos- pitals will be severely effected, when the HSE puts in place its “Value for Money Pro- eramme’, by cutting 153 jobs in the Western area.

According to a circular to the Directors of Human Resources and other senior health ex- ecutives, which has been seen by The Clare People,, the largest number of job losses will be in the west of the country, which includes County Clare.

Voluntary organisations associated with the former Mid Western Health Board will also to be affected by the cuts.

Areas such as recruitment, training and de- velopment, including nursing and midwifery planning and development units, population health and health promotions are being target- ed in a strategy to reduce posts in the health sector by 600 before the end of the year.

Irish Nurses Organisation spokesperson Patsy Doyle said nurses are particularly con- cerned about cuts in recruitment and the nurs- ing and midwifery planning units.

“We are genuinely concerned. We have been waiting for an additional night nurse for A and E in Ennis for over a year,’ she said.

Nurses also believe that a shortage of staff at St Joseph’s Hospital in Ennis will not be PYOCGb Ken NoLem

The midwifery planning and development unit under threat, ensures that nurses are available when others retire, and provides post grad courses and inservice for nursing SEIOE

“Cuts to this service will set us back 20 years,’ claimed Ms Doyle.

A spokesperson for the HSE Mid West Area said the organisation was aware of the propos- als . “A great deal of consideration will have to be devoted to this matter including exten- sive discussions with the various trade unions and professional bodies,” he said.

The circular to the HR directors said, “Op- portunities for non replacement due to retire- ment, transfers, promotion etc., particularly in those areas referred to above shall be criti- cally examined in meeting these targets,” the memo continued.

New posts being created by the HSE in 2005 under the A and E and the Intellectual Disability development plans, will not be af- fected.

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Mixed fortunes for noteliers

THE SCRAMBLE by hotel operators to build and extend new hotels in Clare’s tourist desti- nations, in order to take advantage of tax 1n- centives, is meeting with mixed results.

Clare County Council has granted planning permission for the fourth hotel along Lahinch Main Street, but plans to extend the Liscan- nor Bay Hotel have been thrown out by the Council.

In giving the go-ahead for the Lahinch pro- posal, the Council granted planning to Wil- liam Stackpoole to demolish a cottage on Main Street and construct a small hotel.

Permission was granted despite an objec- tion from businessman, Donal Kenny, who owns the nearby Kenny Woollenmills and the Avondale apartments.

Mr Kenny argued that if the Council was

to allow the development proceed, it would greatly reduce the amenity and value of his property.

As for the proposal for a significant exten- sion to the Liscannor Bay Hotel by Brian J O’ Higgins, the Council ruled that the propos- al would be contrary to the proper planning and development of the area.

The two applications formed part of what the Council’s Head of Planning, Ger Dollard described as “25 years of development” ear- lier this year. In order for the developments to avail of the tax incentives, they must be com- pleted by July of next year.

In all, the Council has received planning ap- plications for 588 holiday homes, 133 apart- ments, 9 new hotels, extensions to 6 existing hotels, a cinema, department store, leisure centre and 2 marinas.

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WETA TUTTE Ca

THE Irish Rural Dwellers Association has called for an urgent meeting in Clare with Environment Minister Dick Roche.

The Kilbaha-based lobby group, which is made up of 26 members nationally, wants to discuss its concerns over the New Housing Guidelines published by the Minister.

In a submission, the IRDA

argued that individual plan- ners have “extraordinary powers of decision-mak- ing” when it comes to visual amenity, seeking personal details, and establishing housing need.

It also outlined concerns at “planners’ powers to over- turn reports by consultant engineers and other profes- sionals on matters as funda- mental as, public health and NCA ae

“The fact that the Gov- ernment felt it necessary to publish these guidelines is recognition of the planning turmoil relating to single ru- ral housing in all areas,” said acting secretary of IRDA, Clare-based Jim Connolly.

PUY Oi romm ethos menie vited to address an IRDA conference “Rural Housing – A Rural Right” at the Kilkee Bay Hotel, on Wednesday August 31.

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Council accused NEYO R SUC eh

CLARE County Council has been ac- cused of engaging in an abuse of proc- ess in its bid to compulsory purchase land for a new €25 million waste wa- ter treatment plant for Ennis.

The charge comes from land-owner, Peter Anthony Liddy who has joined the Diocese of Killaloe in lodging a formal objection to the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for the scheme.

Mr Liddy’s hard-hitting objection stems from the Council not seeking to acquire lands it will sterilize for any future development as it 1s designating the lands as a buffer zone around the waste water treatment plant proposed for Clareabbey.

In his objection, Mr Liddy describes the Council’s CPO as “ill-conceived, uninformed and premature”.

His objection states: “It now tran- spires that the Council now only in- tends to CPO part only of the lands it initially agreed to purchase and now also wished to place a buffer zone over most of what remains, thereby steriliz- ing the same.

“The piece of land not being com-

pulsory acquired by the Council is of virtually no value to our client as it is of no economic, commercial or agri- cultural value.

“We would suggest the Council is now attempting to acquire not only the lands which it initially agreed to pur- chase, but is in essence, acquiring the whole lot as a result of the imposition of this buffer zone over most of the re- mains of Mr Liddy’s property.”

“By doing this, the Council finds that the acquiring costs will be halved, but the net benefit to the Council will be the same as if they purchased all of our client’s lands. We would suggest that this is a complete abuse of process and will not be tolerated by Mr Liddy.

Meanwhile the Diocese of Killaloe this week sought to distance itself from the contents of the objection lodged in its name to the CPO.

The diocese — prior to selling the lands to a developer in June — did lodge an objection, but only against the 1m- position of a buffer zone around the waste water treatment plant. However, the new owner has lodged a revised ob- jection, listing a number of grounds in the letter to An Bord Pleanala.

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Cet tea

LOCAL residents in Gaurus, on the outskirts of Ennis, have railed against plans to construct a €40 million housing development in the area.

Earlier this year, William McGrath and Frank Stackpoole lodged plans to construct 132 semi-detached, 70 terraced and seven detached homes in the Gaurus area, which is located in the Doora-Barefield parish.

However, following a public meet- ing at the Fahy Hall, the residents have come together to lodge a stri-

dent objection against the plan.

They state: “The density of hous- ing proposed for this development is inappropriate to an edge of town location, where sufficient land has been zoned to allow for sustainable growth in the area for the next 10 years.

“A high density development in this area would lead to the destruc- tion of the residential amenities cur- rently being enjoyed by home owners in the area.

“The land is zoned as ‘other settle- ment land’ where any development should by definition “conserve and

enhance the quality and character of the area, to protect residential amen- ity and allow for development appro- priate to the sustainable growth of the settlement.

“The proposed high density de- velopment would contravene this requirement in a rural area charac- terised by low density development and single dwellings.

‘All houses on this road are cur- rently bungalows or dormer. The proposed site of two-storey houses are out of character with the area and in the case of single dwellings bor- dering the proposed development,

will lead to the destruction of their privacy.

“The development is proposed on land immediately beside a lake and its immediate surroundings are rural in nature. A housing development of this size would likely have a negative impact on the environment/wildlife/ plantlife in the vicinity. Immediately adjacent to a Special Area of Con- servation, the development may pose an ecological risk to this area, espe- cially given the increase in housing developments close by and proposed housing developments already.

“The local county road network

is defective in width, alignment and junction standard to service a de- velopment of this scale. Access to the Ennis by-pass will be via Gau- rus Bridge, already a_ bottle-neck and Ballymacahill Cross, traversing three junctions with sub-standard sight-lines. Access to the Quin road is via a dangerous cross-road with a high accident rate due to poor vis- ibility and excessive speed

The developers have scaled down their proposal in response to a fur- ther information request and a deci- sion is expected on the application JE TKomaavtcwmastevelsen

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Electoral register CET M ET

that work is beginning next week on the draft register for 2006 and AU UTE

Through an _ adver-

tisement campaign, the council will be asking new voters, or people who have changed ad- dress, to fill out a form and inform the council.

Approximately fifteen council staff have special responsibilities for keep- ing the register updated and for eliminating the deceased from the list of voters.

“We have field workers who try to ensure that it 1s as accurate as possible,’ said Mr McNamara.

He said the onus was also on people to inform the council of any chang- es to addresses or names.

“It is now timely to ask people to check the regis- ter and inform us if they notice any duplications or omissions,” he said.

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before death crasn

A PRELIMINARY report of the cir- cumstances surrounding a_ helicopter crash last month in south Galway, which claimed the lives of two businessmen, has revealed that the aircraft’s “speed reduced significantly” prior to the col- lision, in the Slieve Aughty Mountains near Gort.

Data from the aircraft radar at Shan- non confirmed that the helicopter main- tained its track while passing over the mountains near Derrybrien at 10.45am on Saturday, July 9. However, according to the initial report of the Air Accident Investigation Unit of the Department of Transport, the helicopter’s speed re- duced significantly, after “the final ra- dar returns showed a sharp turn to the right and the signal then disappeared.”

Two Galway businessman, publican Mark Reilly and Damien Bergin who was involved in the construction indus- try, died in hospital following the crash. A third man was seriously injured. The three were returning to the helicopter’s base near Galway Airport, having spent the night in New Ross, Co Wexford.

The investigation has also established

that shortly before the accident, pilot Damien Bergin was in radio commu- nication with another helicopter at Gal- way airport. According to the AAIU, the call was routine in nature, but was the last known communication from the helicopter.

It has also been confirmed that Dam- ien Bergin used a mobile phone to raise the alarm as he lay fatally injured in the wreckage. Two Galway-based helicop- ters flew to the scene following the call, as did the Shannon-based Irish Coast- guard chopper and ground-based emer- gency services. The casualties were located and evacuated to hospital about one hour after the accident, the report SP HKG

A preliminary examination of the helicopter wreckage showed no evi- dence of pre-impact failure, although there were several reports received by the investigation team indicating poor visibility and low cloud in the area at the time of the accident.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit probe into the crash is continuing and the unit has yet to publish a full report.

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Double bypass boost for GAMA

GAMA Construction Ltd this week received a double boost in its plans to progress the €190 million Ennis bypass, by securing planning per- mission for two quarries to serve the project.

Clare County Council granted planning to the Turkish company, in spite of Department of the Environ- ment concerns over the impact that one of the quarries might have on ie uom Oye 1 ic

The quarry at Knockanean is lo- cated between two bat roosts, includ- ing the ‘secret’ €100,000 bat-house on the route.

However, a bat survey carried out

by Inis Environmental Services did not detect the presence of the pro- tected Lesser Horseshoe Bat in the area.

The planner ruling on the case, found that the impact of the quarry on bats was not considered signifi- cant if all the mitigation measures were put in place.

The Council ruled that in relation to the nature and scale of the propos- al and the intended use of the lands, the proposal would not seriously in- jure the amenities of the area.

There are 27 houses within 500 metres of the proposed quarry. Lo- cal man, PJ Williams lodged an ob- jection against the proposal. He told the council, “I operate a stud-farm

close-by and I will hold the Council responsible for any damage, injury to

animals or loss, if planning permis- sion 1s granted.

The Department of the Environ- ment claims the cumulative impact of the three quarries currently before the council will impact on the local environment.

However, in the case of the Knock- anean proposal, the council’s plan- ner concluded, “it is considered that as the proposal is for a temporary quarrying activity required to facili- tate the completion of a major infra- structural project for the county and for the wider western corridor, it 1s broadly acceptable in principle.”

A spokesman for GAMA Construc- tion Ireland Ltd said would proceed taking all of the planning conditions

made by Clare County Council into account.

Howard Williams, senior consult- ant with Inis Environmental Serv- ices said, “the strict planning con- ditions that have been imposed will ensure that this development will be managed in an environmentally friendly way.

‘However it is felt that to impose a €56,024 fee for use of public infra- structure and facilities benefiting the development is excessive as no pub- lic roads or any other infrastructure will be used.”

A council decision on the third quarry 1s expected later this month.