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THE way is now clear for the provision of a privately run three- storey medical centre, which will form part of a new commercial development on the outskirts of Ennis town centre.

The masterplan being driven by T Sheils & Co for the company’s flagship site on the Ennis-Galway Rd also includes the proposed new McDonalds for Ennis, along with a new supermarket and six two-storey retail units.

The ambitious plan will also see the development of underground and overground car-parking fa- cilities, along with a stand-alone petrol station.

The existing showrooms and shop will be demolished.

With an Bord Pleanala giving the medical centre component the go-ahead, the only remaining aspect of the masterplan yet to get the green-light is the McDonalds drive-thru restaurant, where a de- cision 1s expected in October.

However, as part of the condi- tions attached to the permission, the appeals board has ruled that

the medical centre shall not be occupied until the Ennis by-pass is complete in the interests of traffic safety with the by-pass project not expected to be com- plete by April 2007.

The development – when com- plete – 1s expected to further in- crease the value and profits of the Sheils Company.

The Ford dealer, which has out- lets in Ennis, Limerick and Gal- way, recorded a turnover of €32.5 million to the end of October last year employing 60 people.

Ennis Town Council granted planning permission for the med- ical centre earlier this year, how- ever it was appealed to An Bord Pleanala by local resident, Brian Crowe of 79 Elm Park, Gort Rd, Syabavhy

Mr. Crowe claimed that the de- velopment of the medical centre 22 metres from his home is unac- ceptable.

However, T Sheils & Co point- ed out to the appeals board that the development is in close prox- imity to St Joseph’s Hospital and will provide primary care and personal social services.

The company stated: “This is in keeping with the 2001 Health Strategy issued by the Depart- ment of Health and Children.”

They also argued that the pro- posal is not significantly higher than the existing dwellings, nor in close proximity, therefore over- shadowing will not be significant and therefore the proposed devel- opment will not seriously injure residential amenity.

As aresult of the inspector’s de- cision to grant planning permis- sion, the Board ruled that “having regard to the zoning of the site of the proposed development in the current Development Plan for the area and the pattern of develop- ment in the area.

“It 1s considered that the pro- posal would be compatible with other permitted uses, would not seriously injure residential amen- ity and would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety and con- venience.

“The proposed development would, therefore, be in accord- ance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”

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MAURA Daffy is the third woman and the seventh per- son to be killed on the roads in Clare in 2005.

On January 30, motorcy- clist Pauline Speake from Kilkishen, died when her motorcycle was in collision with a car, near Dysart.

Mrs Speake, in her 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, close to Ryan’s quarry on the main Ennis to Corofin road.

The second road accident in the county also involved a motorcycle. John Ryan from

O’Briensbridge lost his life in a single vehicle accident at O’Briensbridge on Sunday, May 15. Mr Ryan, in his 30s, was driving a motorcycle when the tragic accident oc- curred just after Spm.

Less than a week later tragedy struck again, when an accident in west Clare took two lives, on May 20. Father-of-three Thomas Pen- der and 18-year-old David McCarthy, both from Quilty, died in an accident a short distance from Seafield Pier in Quilty. Mr McCarthy died at the scene of the crash and Mr Pender died the follow-

ing Tuesday at University College Hospital, Cork, from serious head injuries.

The fourth life was lost on Saturday, May 28. Brendan Moloney (21) died after his car struck a wall at Kilmore, Broadford. No other vehicle was involved in the accident which occurred between the Wuthering Heights pub and Broadford village, shortly before 7pm.

Charelle Howard (17) was killed in a road accident on the outskirts of Ennis, in the early hours of Saturday, July 16. She was one of sev- en teenagers travelling in a

Volkswagen Polo car, which crashed on the Shanaway Road in Ennis. Charelle, who had just completed her Leaving Certificate, was the only child of David and Ter- esa Howard from Oakwood Drive, Watery Road, Ennis. Three people have been killed in road accidents in parts of Tipperary, which are also part of the Clare Garda division. This brings to ten the total number of people killed on roads in the divi- sion. Eleven people died in road accidents in the Clare Garda Division last year.

CLARE 1s not ready for the onslaught on business and recycling facilities which is coming with this weeks activation of an electrical re-cycling directive, an En- nis businessman has warned.

With just two facilities in the whole of Clare – as opposed to one every 20 miles in Sweden to deal with a similar directive – the official recycling points will be swamped. And small electrical retailers will not be able to afford to build the facilities demanded by the regulation to store old washing machines, fridges and other items, said Paul Flynn, proprietor of Ennis Electrical.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) law also means that consumers have to pay up top €40 on top of the price of new electrical goods to fund the disposal of old ones – even if the buyer is not returning any old machine or appliance.

“These new regulations mean twice the work for re- tailers and increased costs and there are a lot of small business people out there who don’t have any idea what is involved in WEEE,” said Paul.

“If we are taking back an appliance for every one we deliver, we’re going to have to make twice as many slelenantoy Ane

The Ennis Electrical boss says that the Inagh and Scariff amenities which have been earmarked to ac- cept the redundant electrical goods “are in no way prepared for what is coming. I spoke to the people in Inagh and they are expecting just a few items each week to be brought in from all over – Pll be bringing a minimum of 60 appliances a week to them and that’s just me,” said Paul.

The Ennis Electrical retailer 1s concerned that many outlets will fail to impose the charge, putting them- selves in danger of facing fines and even risking their

staff being fined.

‘This is written in stone – it’s the law and I know for a fact there are many people who don’t’ know the first thing about it. For instance, before I can even register for the directive – and every electrical retailer has to register – I have to have a holding facility for appli- ances with a concrete floor and weatherproof cover- ing. There are many people who don’t know that. Most people don’t even know that retailers now don’t have to pay when they bring appliances for disposal.”

There are 355,000 fridges sold in Ireland every year and Paul predicts that not all retailers will impose the charges which range from €1 when buying a new electric toothbrush to €40 extra when buying a large fridge.

Paul says that the retailers are “pleased that this 1s at least an exposed charge. The washing machine which a customer bought before the charges were introduced still costs the same amount and the charge is imposed on top of that.”

He believes that the WEEE Register “was negoti- ated with the big national and multinational retailers in mind – not the small retailers.”

The Ennis businessman says that he is in full agree- ment with the need to have electrical goods responsi- bly disposed of.

‘T don’t want to see fridges dumped at the side of the road. But we are not prepared for the full impact of this and the Government decides to make it law dur- ing the summer recess when there is no Minister to answer for it.”

Meanwhile, the Consumers’ Association of Ireland has called on shoppers to boycott the charge, which became law on August 13.

Dermot Jewell of the Consumers Association de- scribed the charges as another tax being levied on the Loy eTieneates

can exclusively reveal.

A recommendation to make employers responsible is con- tained in the report of the Expert Advisory Group on Workplace Bullying, which 1s due to be published by Clare Minister of State for Labour Affairs, Tony Kileen tomor- row (Wed).

Sources have revealed that the report will recommend that legislation be put in place, making Ireland one of the only countries in Europe to imple- ment such laws and causing a major headache for bosses.

It could pave the way for thousands of employees to take legal actions.

In the last study of bullying carried out here in 2001, it was revealed that 115,000 people in Ireland had suffered serious workplace bullying.

Deciphering the difference between bullying and legiti- mate management techniques could become a legal mine- field, with employees claiming bullying tactics and managers CP YAU OTSA Ooh Va DUcmmN LUCID AYA DOTA KO get the job done.

Ennis Chamber of Com- merce CEO, Triona MclIn- erney, said that drawing up legislation to make employers culpable will make life “very difficult for businesses. While the health and safety of em-

ployees is obviously a very important issue, legislation can be very sweeping and to what real benefit, it has to be asked.”

Ms McInerney said _ that before making anti-bullying laws, the Government should conduct a cost-benefit analy- Sk

“At the momment, industry and businesses are struggling to pay taxes, pay VAT, pay the bills, yet the increased costs on business seem to coming largely from Government im- posed measures. What needs to be asked is what would be the real cost of implementing this legislation and how could we make it work? There should be a clause which says that if employers do all they can to prevent bullying and deal with it when it happens, then they can’t be totally culpable.”

The expert advisory group on workplace bullying was established a year ago with terms of reference to advise and report to the Minister on the effectiveness of current measures to prevent work- place bullying, and to identify improved means of prevent- ing it. They were also asked to look at how to address the contribution made by bullying to the incidence of workplace stress.

The group was chaired by Mr Paul J Farrell, Partner at IBM’s Business Consulting Services.

A POSSIBLE | tragedy was averted off the Kil- rush coastline this week- end, thanks to the quick actions of a fishing boat crew.

Seven people were res- cued from the 26 foot Kilrush §Marina-based yacht “Truant”, after it capsized and sank in the Shannon Estuary on Sat- urday evening.

The incident occurred between Scattery Island and Hog Island. It is be- lieved the crew on board the locally owned ship, took up the centre board of the boat, to allow them on to Scattery Island.

On returning to the

boat, they raised sail without putting down the centre board, resulting in the ship capsizing.

A passing fishing boat came to the rescue. The alarm was raised _ at 4.30pm, and the Shannon- based Irish Coastguard

helicopter was deployed to the scene. The seven were taken safely ashore at Kilrush.

On arrival, the lifeboat crew reported the stern of the yacht protruding approximately one metre from the water, which

was 3.6 metres deep.

This rescue was the sec- ond in just over a week. A 37{t Killaloe based mo- tor cruiser “Regina 4’, en-route from Dingle to Kilrush, caught fire and sank near the Ballybun- ion Buoy, at the mouth of the Shannon Estuary.

Spokesperson for the Kilrush RNLI, Charles Glynn, has advised sail- ors to remember the five main safety tips when taking out a boat.

He warned sailors to always wear a life jacket, check the engine and fuel before leaving the marina and always tell people Where they were going and when they planed to return.

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.

CLARE County Council holds one of the keys to the development of state of the art playing facilities for gaelic games in the county, delegates to the Clare County Board have been Ko) (en

County Board chairman Michael McDonagh unveiled the new blue- print for the development of facili- ties at a site on the outskirts of Ennis near Norrie Henchy’s on the Tulla Road.

The board has purchased 67 acres there and McDonagh told delegates that an application has been lodged with Clare County Council’s plan- ning department to develop 20 acres of the land.

“This is the culmination of 12 months hard work,’ said Michael McDonagh. “The plan is for three fields and if we get the go-ahead it will be the model for the rest of the country,” the chairman added.

And, the county board has pledged to embark on a consultation period with the public as part of the devel- Opment process. To this end board representatives led by the Mr. Mc- Donagh will meet with public repre- sentatives and also travel to Tulla to consult with the community there.

“A lot of work is being done in de- velopment,’ Mr. McDonagh told del- egates. “We’re developing one and a half fields in Clarecastle and also Cusack Park and the pitches in Tulla. It will cost €150,000 per pitch, while the dressing room facilities will cost €300,000.

“All the work we’re doing will cost

€3 million. The development in Tul- la will be seven minutes from the by- pass and will benefit east and west. If we don’t get planning permission it will be a grave injustice to the youth of the county,’ added McDonagh. The chairman pledged to report back to delegates in Sept on how de- velopment plans are advancing.

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