Category: News

A DECISION on a proposed € 34 million retail park on the outskirts of Ennis is not expected to made for a number of weeks.

An Bord Pleanála were due to make a decision yesterday on the proposed retail development at the Clare Road / Tobertascáin. However it emerged on Monday evening that the decision will not be ready for a number of weeks.

Michael Lynch Ltd had sought permission for the (1) Demolition of all structures on site including 5 residential units, office block and all ancillary buildings; (2) Provision of a public plaza fronting on to the Limerick Road including both soft and hard landscaping; (3) A retail development including a food store incorporating customer restaurant and cafe, off licence sales area, dot com area and storage service area. (4) Separate ancillary two-storey retail and office block, a standalone two-storey office block, 610 parking spaces, provision for cycle parking, trolley bays and vehicular access to and from the Tobarteascain Road.

The developers had said the project would create 300 jobs in construction and between 180 and 200 permanent jobs. However objectors, including town centre businesses, argued that the development would have a “significantly detrimental effect on town centre retail” and lead to a “decreased viability of the town centre”.

In their submissions both Ennis Chamber and Ennis Development Forum, along with other street associations in the town, outlined their concerns for the proposed development. Among the concerns was the statistical data on which the application is based, justifying the need for significant additional retail space, is out of date given the changing eco- nomic circumstances and that the cnsus of population for Clare which shows a very significant slowdown in the level of population growth.

CEO of Ennis Chamber, Rita Mc Inerney said, “We are very concerned that this proposal is located on a flood plain area designated as a flood risk A, the most at-risk category. Given the very serious history of flooding in Ennis, we cannot accept the suggestion that the development could proceed until the detailed flood studies recommended by the OPW have been carried out indicating that flood risk can be overcome and these studies have not been carried out to date.”

A spokesperson for the Ennis Development Forum added: “All of the evidence indicates a 25 per cent drop at least in retail expenditure since 2008. Therefore we feel that granting permission for the proposal will put an end to Ennis town centre as a viable retail area.”

THE Clare County Manager is expected to seek further legal advice after a majority of councillors voted in favour of a controversial re-zoning of land in Quin.

An amendment to the South Clare Area Local Plan (2012-2018) that calls for a four-acre site near Malachy’s Pub in Quin to be zoned residential was yesterday adopted at a meeting of Clare County Council.

26 members voted in favour of the re-zoning, two councillors, PJ Kelly (FF) and Bill Chambers (FF), abstained while one councillor, Patricia McCarthy, voted to leave the site as is, as recommended in the Manager’s Report.

County Manager Tom Coughlan had earlier told councillors that he had received “clear and categorical” legal advice from the council’s solicitor, the Department of the Environment and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) that any re-zoning would contravene an environmental habitats directive concerning the presence of the lesser horseshoe bat. He said, “The legal advice is that this decision should not be implemented.”

Director of Service Gerard Dollard said, “The legal advice is clear cut and black and white and is supported by a High Court case.”

Mr Dollard told the meeting that if the amendment passed, the Council Executive reserved the right to review the decision.

Supporters of the amendment had cited a report prepared by bat expert Conor Kelleher of Aardwolf Wildlife Surveys, that claimed the cave and bat roost at the Pollnagordan Cave Special Area of Conservation (SAC) could be protected by appropriate mitigation measures and assessment.

Quin councillor Sonny Scanlan (FG) said it was unfair that with the “stroke of a pen the council can come along and wipe this thing of the map”.

Cllr Pat Daly (FF) said there were “high stakes” for the landowners involved. He cited the example of a bat house built near Ballykilty Manor that had not attracted any bats.

Cllr Tony Mulqueen (FG) said, “At this stage we seem to have more rights given to bats than to people.”

Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) said she did not support the amendment due to the nature of the legal advice.

SINGER Maura O’Connell will perform to a home audience next week after she was announced as the latest addition to the ‘Clare Connections’ concert, which takes place in Ennis next week.

The Nashville-based performer is appearing as a special guest on a bill that already includes Lúnasa, the Kilfenora Céilí Band and the Teetotallers (Martin Hayes, Kevin Crawford and John Doyle).

The concert, which is supported by Ennis Town Council and local businesses, will take place at the Abbey Street car park on Thursday, June 21, at 6pm.

The free music event has been organised as part of Love: Live Music, a day-long celebration of all forms of music in Ireland through free live music events in cities, towns and villages all over the country.

The success of the event could see Ennis receive financial support for a larger concert next year.

Tracy Crawford of Bally-O Promotions explained, “This year’s event is setting the seeds for a new festival in 2013 to tie in with The Gathering. This is an incredibly strong line-up for a free event in the county and one that we hope will be supported as it will lead to other exciting opportunities in the future.”

Members of Ennis Town Council approved the closure of the Abbey Street car park for the concert at their June meeting.

While welcoming the concert, councillors also urged organisers to cater for younger audiences.

Recalling the success of the Beat on the Street event held in Ennis during the mid-’90s, Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind) said there was no guarantee that traditional music would draw large crowds to Ennis.

Cllr Peter Considine (FF) said an eclectic line-up was needed to attract a younger audience.

Councillors Tommy Brennan (Ind) and Brian Meaney (GP) called for the concert to be staged at another location in Ennis.

Cllr Meaney said a concert held in the Abbey Street car park for the Fleadh Nua had drawn a “miserable” attendance.

He proposed that an area from Bank Place to O’Connell Square be used for concerts.

Commenting on crowds at the recent Fleadh Nua, Cllr Neylon said the good weather had taken people out of the town.

He said, “We haven’t seen 26, 27 degrees in a long time. The people danced to Lahinch.”

Cllr Brennan proposed that the council examine whether a concert could be staged in the Market.

Town Manager Gerard Dollard told the meeting that the council needs to make a strategic decision on a specific civic space for large events.

A NEW house began construction in Clare every four days during the first three months of the year, which means ground was broken on just 22 houses between January and the end of March.

This is a significant drop on the same period last year, when 36 houses were built – a drop of 39 per cent.

The figure becomes even starker when the figures for a full year are compared.

From April 2011 to March 2012, a total of 201 commenced constructions in Clare, compared to 387 during the 12 months previous.

This is a drop of 87 per cent according to the latest house building sta- tistics released by the Construction Industry Federation (CIF).

It is unlikely that the drop in construction is likely to improve any time soon in the Banner County as planning applications to Clare County Council have also decreased significantly.

The National Housing Construction Index indicates that planning application figures in Ireland from January to April 2012 were down 20 per cent. However, Clare recorded the third highest drop nationally at 35 per cent, just behind Kerry and Kildare, both with a 39 per cent decrease in applications.

Senator Tony Mulcahy (FG) said the figures represented evidence of the ongoing challenges facing the local construction trade and the dif- ficulty being experienced by people in securing mortgages.

“A total of 115 planning applications were lodged to the planning authority between January and April, compared to 176 during the same period in 2011. This represents a 35 per cent drop, which will be of great concern to those working in the building trade in County Clare.

“The figures suggest that many people are having difficulty securing mortgages to finance the construction of new homes. This is typified by the fact that there has been a large increase in the number of home builders or developers looking for an extension to the planning application as the original application was about to expire after five years,” he said.

“The figures also show that increas- ing numbers of people are opting to rent properties rather than build their own home. Both situations have a negative impact on the construction sector and rural communities throughout the county where new housing starts are important for rural regeneration and the creation of jobs.”

There were 71 units completed in Clare in the first quarter of this year, however, compared to 74 during the same period in 2011. This resulted in a drop of only four per cent in the year-on-year comparison.

CIF Director Hubert Fitzpatrick said, “The latest statistics reveal that the level of new house building activity remains severely depressed, which points to a further sharp decline in output for 2012 in Clare.” It w ill b e a d u ll we e k, Frid a y a n d Sa t u rd a y t h e we t t e st , m ild b u t n o t wa rm . Lo n g – ra n g e fo re c a st su g g e st s n e xt we e k w ill b e sim ila r.

GAA clubs and inter-county hurlers and footballers along the western seaboard from Clare as far as Sligo and then across to Tyrone are set to embrace a ultra-marathon walking challenge that will start from Ennis and take place over four days in early August.

Ennis-based Tyroneman Barry Donnelly is the brainchild behind a 180-mile trek to Tyrone that has a target of raising € 10,000 for famine relief in Africa that will be administered by the Oxfam charity.

Details of what has been called ‘GAA Walk for Africa’ were announced this week by Mr Donnelly, who previously worked as a volunteer in Africa with the Tyrone-based Paul McGirr Foundation.

“It’s a big challenge, but it’s something I am determined to do,” said Donnelly, “because I believe there’s great scope for GAA people to get involved in a fundraising project like this.

“The idea would be that GAA clubs along the route from my adopted town of Ennis to my home place of Dromore in Tyrone would come out and show support – by walking a few miles, by helping with the fundraising.

“Physically it will be tough, because I aim to do the 400 miles in four days, which would mean walking 45 miles a day from a Thursday to Monday – that would be about four miles and hour for 12 hours a day,” adds Donnelly, who has been based in Ennis since 1999.

Oxfam have giving their backing for the project which, subject to Garda approval, will start from Ennis on the Thursday before the August bank holiday weekend and continue until the bank holiday Monday.

“It’s now about drumming up support for the idea,” says Donnelly. “This will be done through GAA clubs, the local media, social media, while I’m also trying to get the Ray Darcy Show on Today FM on board,” he adds.

Details of the ‘GAA Walk for Africa’ can be got from bdonnellyinsu lation@gmail.com or 087 2582516, while the Oxfam fundraising drive has already started with the opening of an AIB account, 93-51-58 06499047.

COMPUTER users have been warned about a new electronic scam that targets people’s personal bank details.

Gardaí in Ennis have issued the warning after receiving a number of calls from concerned computer owners.

Sgt Joe Downey, Crime Prevention Officer, explained that in recent weeks people have received telephone calls indicating that their computers have viruses and then directing them to various websites.

The caller directs the person to input certain data and what is actually happening unknown to the person is that they are uploading a virus, which corrupts their computer.

The caller now has control of the person’s computer and is able to access personal information, especially information relating to bank account details.

Computer owners are being told to ignore these calls. The gardaí have issued the following advice to computer users: “Please do not accept this call and under no circumstances should you input data as directed by the caller. Hang up and ignore the caller, as legitimate computer companies do not operate in this manner.” 30/06/2012

CLARE’S most westerly village was celebrating on Friday with the announcement that their long awaited playground has got the green light from Clare Country Council.

The local authority granted permission for the nautical themed state of the art playground with eight car paring spaces including one disability car space.

The new playground will be situated between Keating’s and the Lighthouse Inn in the village.

Kilballyowen Development Ltd and the Playground Special Interest group are continuing to fundraise for the project and hope to be granted Leader funding in the coming weeks.

Ailish Connolly spokesperson for the playground group said everyone was delighted with the news.

“We were donated the site for this purpose back in March 2011 and its been a long road to get to this point,” she said.

The playground is likely to attract a lot of local and visiting children.

“Loop Head Lighthouse hope to attract more than 17,000 visitors this summer and this facility they hope will encourage families to stay longer in the area. Kilbaha, Cross and Carraigaholt have a good population of young children with the schools and playschools totalling 121 students this year.

“We have been so lucky with the huge support we have had from the parish of Kilballyowen. We had such huge support from our local councillors Patrick Keane, Gabriel Keating, and Oliver Garry, TD Pat Breen and Clare County Council,” she said.

“The playground is now subject to Leader funding but all going to plan the playground, we hope, will be opened late August this year,” added Ms Connolly.

To date the hard working fundraisers have raised € 20,525 and are hoping to raise the remaining € 10,975 during the next few weeks.

THE Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is expected to issue directions later this month in respect of incidents alleged to have occurred at a primary school in Ennis earlier this year, a court has heard.

Inspector Tom Kennedy told Ennis District Court on Wednesday that Gardaí were in the process of responding to further queries from the DPP in relation to alleged offences at and outside Holy Family junior school, Ennis on March 20.

Three people – Conor Mahon (21), Rose Mahon (22) and Laura Molloy (21) – are facing charges arising out of the incident.

Conor Mahon, of Ballaghboy, Quin Road, Ennis is charged with possession of a slash hook at the school contrary to the firearms and offensive weapons act and with engaging in threatening and, or, abusive behaviour.

Conor Mahon’s wife, Rose Mahon, also of Ballaghboy Quin Road, Ennis, is charged with causing 1500 euros worth of damage to the windows of a vehicle on Station Road.

Her sister, Laura Molloy, of 21 An Pairc, Bruach na hAbhainn, Ennis is also charged with causing 1500 euros worth of damage to the windows of a vehicle on Station Road. Both sisters are also charged with provoking a breach of the peace.

Solicitor Daragh Hassett consented to Insp Kennedy’s application for a 14-day extension for DPP’s directions.

All three were remanded on continuing bail to appear again in court on June 20.

CHILDREN from Clare with diabetes are putting up with “dire” conditions as they try to manage their condition.

One of the leading experts in type one diabetes in the country, Dr Anna Clarke is now appealing to parents from the county and across the midwest to begin a letter campaign calling on the CEO of the Mid Western Hospital Group, Ann Doherty, to implement some promised measures that would alleviate the situation.

Parents of the estimated 3, 500 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, including an estimated 250 from Clare, lobbied politicians last year, calling for diabetes services to be restructured on a virtually cost-neutral basis.

In response, the HSE made commitments to address the inequity, inconsistency and general difficulty in accessing advanced therapies like insulin pumps outside of Dublin.

“The HSE promised to address this imbalance and build capacity for insulin pump therapy in Cork, Limerick and Galway. I am very concerned at the slow progress being made five months after the announcement,” added Professor Hilary Hoey, Chair of Diabetes Ireland.

“The situation in the Paediatric Diabetes clinic in Limerick is pretty dire,” according to Gráinne Flynn, Secretary of the Clare branch of Diabetes Ireland.

“Every child should have immediate access to a diabetes nurse specialist and a dietician on diagnosis but, in some cases, the waiting list for a child with type one diabetes to see a dietician can be up to one year,” she said.

“Another example of the lack of resources in Limerick would be if a parent telephones the clinic looking for some guidance on how to manage diabetes with a sick child, the parent is forwarded to an answering machine which may not be checked until late afternoon. By this time, the family could be highly distressed. On the other hand, if this child is an outpatient of a Dublin hospital, the parent would be put through to a live person.”

Diabetes Ireland is calling on the HSE to put in place promised nursing and dietician support to make the treatment available to children and adolescents with diabetes at Cork University Hospital, the MidWest Hospital Limerick and Galway University Hospital.

TWO Dublin people found in possession of a stolen caravan near Newmarket on Fergus have appeared in court.

Owen McDonagh (23) and Rita McDonagh (21), both of 6 Shelly Park, Dunsink Lane, Dublin 11 are charged with handling stolen property a – Tabbert Vivaldi caravan knowing the property was stolen or were reckless as to whether it was stolen at Latoon, Newmarket on Fergus on May 30 (2012).

Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that it would be alleged that the McDonagh’s were found in possession of a caravan at 6.15am.

He said the caravan had been stolen from Spanish Point at around 2.30am.

He said the property was recovered.

He said the DPP had directed summary disposal of the case.

Judge Patrick Durcan accepted jurisdiction and adjourned the case until July 24 for hearing.