Author: admin

CLARE could be site of Ireland’s first ever waste-to-energy factory, as plans for a facility which would burn 300,000 tonnes of waste per annum have just been lodged with an Bord Pleanála.

The plans were lodged as a Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) with the planning authority last week by Limerick based company WTP Energy Limited.

The SID process allows companies to apply directly to an Bord Pleanála and work closely with the national planning authority if the project is deemed to be large enough and of a regional or national.

The proposed facility would use a process known as pyrolysis, which involves burning organic materials without the presence of oxygen.

The process can take place at temperature of as much as 550 degrees Celsius and is, according to a spokesperson from WTP Energy Limited, a cleaner from of waste-to-energy production than traditional incineration.

The company also claims that the factory will create more than 100 full time jobs when completed.

“The proposed facility will be using proven technology developed by TechTrade International GMBH, a German company which has advanced pyrolysis as a form of waste treatment worldwide, and will assist the State’s compliance with European Waste Directives as well as providing 100 full time employment positions directly,” said a WPT Energy spokesperson yesterday.

“The phrolysis process has been demonstrated to be considerably more efficient at converting waste to energy energy when compared to mass burn- ing incineration and achieves a more complete conversion to energy and also has lower associated emissions rates,” he added.

While the site has been listed as a County Clare site with the planning authority, the company confirmed yesterday that they don’t have an exact location in mind at this point and that possible locations in other counties will also be examined.

Should the proposal be granted SID status then Clare Council will not have a formal role to play in its planning.

“The pre-application consultation before an Bord Pleanála is to assess if the development proposal and process comes within the requirements for a strategic infrastructure proposal.

“A classification of strategic infrastructure results in an Bord Pleanála dealing with any subsequent planning application,” said a council spokesperson.

“The council understands that the proposal at this point is not site specific to Clare but has been listed under Clare County Council for administrative purposes only.

“This will be clarified when formal communication is received from an Bord Pleanála.”

CLARE County Council is investigation complaints about the possible disposal of asbestos at three sites in the Shannon region. The local authority said the complaints are still being investigated but no asbestos material has been located at these sites to date. It confirmed however that “intact pipes” have been identified and need to be removed from Clonmoney Reservoir near Shannon where pipes were replaced. The complaints follow the discovery of nine sites in West Clare where the material known as “the hidden killer” was illegally deposited and not disposed of properly. This week the council said it is progressing with its independent investigation into why the material was illegally deposited in the west. The issue came to light last June when former Kilkee Town Councillor PJ Linnane raised concerns about broken asbestos pipes found dumped at a former reservoir near his home. A specialist asbestos consultant was engaged by the council to advise the authority on the removal of the materials just last month. Since then it has removed pieces of broken asbestos pipe from the surface of four of the nine sites. A spokesperson told The Clare People last evening that the surface asbestos should be removed from all nine sites within a fortnight. When this work is completed a specialist asbestos consultant will be employed to develop and carry out soil testing on the sites to establish the extent of asbestos material, which is buried at the sites. “Phase three [of the clean up process] will involve the removal of any asbestos material at any of the sites which is buried. The timeline for phase two and three is not known in detail as yet because it is subject to estimating the amount of material in each site,” he said. The costs associated with carrying out these works are not yet known.

A MAJOR new survey is being undertaken in North Clare, which aims to examine how happy the 18,000 residents of the greater Burren area are with their lot in life.

The survey, which is being undertaken by the newly-formed ChangeX Burren organisation, is the first of its kind in Ireland and will be used to analyse different approaches that could be taken to sustaining Burren communities, which are under constant threat from depopulation and economic hardship.

When completed, the ChangeX Burren project will be used as a prototype to roll out a ‘wellness’ analysis of other communities in Ireland and eventually to compare relative happiness in different areas as well as tracking changes over time.

Work on the ChangeX Burren survey has been underway since February and the project will be officially launched on May 8. Once the survey have been completed, they will be analysed with the help of NUI, Galway, and a number of community initiatives will be promoted to tackle any problems identified in he survey.

These initiatives include the promo- tion of a number of existing community groups such as Grow It Yourself (GIY) groups, Coder Dojos and the Slow Food Movement.

“The idea of the survey is to give us an insight into what innovations would work [to improve life] in the Burren region but also to measure well-being. Key to the whole process is community involvement and we want to community to take this into their own hands from the very beginning,” said Elaine Williams of ChangeX Burren.

“Well-being is a very broad term, and one person’s idea of well-bring is very different to anothers, so people will define their own definition of well-being for themselves. The hope is that through the survey we will be able to come up with a base-line definition of well-being for the Burren.

“The Burren is the pilot project for this. It is a great opportunity for the people of the Burren to be involved in this. It is the perfect place to start. We are very excited because there is already a great community spirit in the Burren.”

The group are hoping to collect as many completed surveys as possible before the end of next week but will continue to collect surveys after that date. To complete the survey email elaine@changex.io.

AN ANIMAL rights group has offered a € 5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the deaths and dumping of 17 animals in Doonbeg.

The decomposing carcasses of approximately 10 horses, four cattle and three calves were discovered at the bottom of the spectacular Baltard Cliffs last week.

Gardaí in Kilrush, along with Clare County Council, the Department of Agriculture and the ISPCA are investigating how the animals died and who dumped their remains.

One horse was found at the top of the cliff, barely alive, and had to be put down by a local vet.

Questions also remain if the animals at the bottom of the cliff were fully dead at the time their bodies were dumped over the cliff edge.

The animal carcasses, which have been at the scenic cliffs for up to two months, have not yet been removed as there is some difficulty in getting the proper equipment to where they are located.

“The council is trying to determine if it can get a tracked machine down to where they are located, which is not easily accessible.

“The HSE has advised the council that the animals are not going to cause a public nuisance in the meantime due to their remote location,” said a council spokesperson yesterday (Monday).

The group, Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN), has now offered a reward for information.

John Carmody from ARAN said, “The new laws which the Minister introduced recently are clearly not going to deter these cowards from taking their issues out on whomever is available to them.

“As a nation we should now hang our heads in shame that we’ve reached a point where animal abuse has now gone so out of control that those who are involved in it, simply don’t have anything to fear. We’ve been saying it for years.”

GENDER balance is unlikely in the new look Clare County Council from next May, as just seven of the 60 candidates declared to date are female.

This week the local authority’s only female representative, Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind), announced her retirement from elected politics, which means there are no sitting female county councillors contesting the election on May 23.

Fine Gael has nominated just two women – two of its sitting female town councillors – Cllr Mary Howard, Ennis, and Cllr Marian McMahon Jones, Kilrush, to contest the council elections.

These are the only two women among the party’s 16 candidates in Clare.

Fianna Fáil’s gender balance does not compare favourably either.

Again, just two of its 18 candidates are female: Louise Roche McNamara, contesting the Shannon area, and Clare Colleran Molloy from Ennis the Municipal Area.

And while the two larger political parties in the county have just four women candidates between them, Labour and Sinn Fein have as yet included no women among their candidates.

The party’s are expected to announce candidates for the West Clare area in the coming days.

The remaining three women who have put their name’s forward to date are all Independent candidates, and contesting the Ennis area.

These include former Labour member Paula McNamara, school teacher Seonaidh NíShiomoin and Ann Norton from the Clare Crusaders.

Those voting in the Killaloe Municipal Area will not see any women on their ballot papers come polling day, unless some one declares in the next few weeks.

Asked why she believes there are so few women involved in local politics in Clare, Cllr McCarthy said, “What I have found is that women always want to get things done and solve problems. We are not as patient at just talking about it and putting it off on the long finger. You want to get something done, to feel you are achieving something. Now maybe men feel the same but it doesn’t come across, but I think women they just don’t see it as something they want to get involved in.”

Candidates have until April 24 to declare as a candidate.

A DERELICT complex, once used by homeless people who were sleeping rough, has gone on the market and the members of Ennis Town Council believe the local authority should buy it.

At last evening’s meeting of the council, Cllr Brian Meaney (FF) suggested that the council request permission from the Government to raise the loan necessary to purchase the Fairways which has gone on the market for € 75,000.

The derelict building, which was described by Cllr Tommy Brennan as “an awful eye sore”, is situated on the entrance to the town from the Galway side, across from the Fairgreen (Active Ennis Tim Smyth Park).

Dereliction orders have previously been served on the building, according to Town Manager Ger Dollard, who agreed to “investigate with a full view to a solution”.

Cllr Meaney maintained that the purchase prices tag of € 75,000 would be more cost affective to forcing a dereliction order to its conclusion, which is a lengthy and costly legal process.

“It is a landmark site that I believe will increase in value,” he said.

The purchase of the building should “well be within the ability of the council,” the councillor argued.

“What we are dealing with here is a legacy issue from another planning era.

“You would never get planning permission for that now.

“I think this is an opportunity where we can begin the process again.

“Maybe improve it or maybe demolish it and use the site for some- thing more appropriate.”

Cllr Mary Howard (FG) seconded Cllr Meaney’s motion stating that from a Tidy Town’s perspective there is nothing that can be done with the building currently.

Ennis Town Clerk Leonard Cleary told the meeting that the building was not suited to the housing needs of Ennis Town Council clients as there are “significant building management issues.”

“If a property such as this were to be developed for social housing it may need the management oversight of an organisation such as a volun- tary housing body,” he said.

“An initial viewing of the building would indicate there would be considerable works required.”

The Town Clerk said that such issues as this would have to be assessed before seeking permission for a loan.

THE recession may slowly be releasing its grip from Clare’s county town as live register figures for March show that the number of people signing on in Ennis has reduced to their lowest level in more than five years.

According to figures obtained from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the number of people signing on the live register in Ennis last month was just 4,975 – the lowest level recorded in the county town for any month since January of 2009.

These figures represent a market reduction of 560 people or 10.1 per cent compared with March of 2013. The number of people currently signing on in Ennis is also 1,064 people, or 17.6 per cent, fewer than in March of 2010 – the worst March on record.

These recent improvement were also replicate in other parts of the county but the overall figures would suggest that the improvement is taking place in Ennis quicker than in the rest of Clare.

According to Ennis Chamber of Commerce, a number of new jobs could be created in Clare right now, if credit was made more easily available to businesses.

“We certainly feel that there are businesses in Ennis who could expand if the situation with credit was normalised. We need to see some sort of connect between the finance aspect and the supports available. While we believe that there is no point in giving credit to businesses that are not viable and would not work even give credit, there needs to be some sort of support there to make credit available to businesses who have a justifiable plan,” said Rita McInerney, CEO of the Ennis Chamber of Commerce.

“Sometimes there is a bit of a disconnect. You can have a business that, if given the right advice and support, would be in a position to justify receiving credit and moving the business forward. If a business is refused credit from a bank, the question that should be asked is why it was refused. The bank might think that the business is not viable but if might also be the case that the business just need more planning and help to show that they are viable.”

Overall figures for Clare show that 9,023 people signed on the live register last month – a drop of more then 800 people on the same month last year. The number signing on reduced by 200 in Ennis with Ennistymon also performing well, with a drop of 80 people last month.

EAST Clare is in mourning today following the tragic death of an eightyear-old boy in a quad-bike accident on Thursday evening last.

Ultan Hayes from Ballinagough in Whitegate will be laid to rest this morning, April 8, following mass of the angels at St Camin’s Church in Mountshannon.

Ultan passed away at Temple Street Hospital in Dublin on Friday evening, after receiving head injuries in an accident just after 9pm on Thursday. The youngster was the passenger of a quad bike driven by his father, Brian Hayes, which came in contact with a stone wall close to their home.

Both Ultan and his father were rushed to University Hospital in Limerick, with Ultan being transferred to Temple Street Hospital. His fathers injuries are understood to be non-life threatening.

Ultan, who was a keen sports person, had been at training with the Whitegate Under 8 and Under 10 hurlers on the evening of the accident. The youngster had also completed his First Confession with his fellow students from Mountshannon National School earlier that day, as part of his preparations for his First Holy Communion.

“People are absolutely devastated. It’s a big blow for everyone in East Clare to be honest. To lose anyone in an accident is a tragedy but to for a family to lose someone so young is devastating. On behalf of everyone in Whitegate, I’d like to extend the sympathy of the whole community,” said local councillor Pat Burke.

As well as being a talented hurler, Ultan was also a promising athlete and a keen Irish dancer who was studying in a local Irish dancing school.

Ultan is survived by his parents Orla and Brian, his siblings Alannah, Oisin and Donnacha, and his grandparents Patrica and Liam Hayes from Broadford and Kathleen Hayes from Whitegate, as well as a large extended family and many friends.

ENNIS Town Council yesterday heard calls for shaving foam, eggs and other messy substances to be banned from the town during certain public events such as St Patrick’s Day Parade.

The ban was called for by Cllr Mary Howard (FG) in the wake of a number of unsavoury incidents which were reported to have taken place during this year’s St Patrick’s Day festivities in Ennis.

“I think that it is obvious that if a group of 11 or 12 year-olds are buying lots of shaving foam that they are not all going home to shave their legs,” said Cllr Howard. See page 17 for more

KILRUSH Town Council is expected to vote on Thursday night to ring fence and redesignate money once earmarked for Civic Offices for other local community projects.

More than € 373,000 had been sitting in the council’s coffers to pay for office buildings, but as the council is to be dissolved next month concerns had been expressed that this money would be lost to central government.

In March former mayor Cllr Marian McMahon Jones (FG) had proposed that the council use the rarely used Section 140, Subsection 3 of the Local Government Act 2001, which would request the manager to ring fence money from the town council capital funds for specific projects such as the sports field on the Cooraclare Road.

Town Manager Anne Haugh had suggested that a request be made to the county manager and Head of Finance to ring fence the town council’s money for the projects for which it had been intended.

This Thursday the council is expected to reallocate the money from the Civic Office fund to community projects, and ring fence monies already designated to other projects for the purpose they were intended.

Cllr McMahon Jones said that she is happy with this outcome.

“It is important this money stays in Kilrush for what it was intended after the council is dissolved,” she said.

“As long as the money is prioritised for projects that will benefit the town of Kilrush and the hinterland, I am happy with that. The main objective here it to see the town and area well served.”

Meanwhile the Department of the Environment and Local Government released € 350,000 of the council’s budget for local capital projects.

Town Clerk John Corry had expressed his frustration last month that the department had not given permission for projects already identified by the council as necessary and strategic.

It is understood that the € 350,000 released by department will be used for the astro turf pitch element of the sport facility of the Cooraclare Road with the remainder to be used to progress other identified projects. ��������� ���������� ������������ �����������