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THE Courts Service confirmed yesterday that it has resumed its search for a premises in Shannon to hold court sittings and has to date failed to identify new premises in Ennistymon.

It is now two years since the twice monthly courts at Shannon were relocated to the Ennis Courthouse following the re-opening of the 19th century courthouse in July, 2004.

Since then, Shannon residents have been forced to make the journey to Ennis Courthouse every second Thursday for the Shannon district court sitting with the attendant expense and inconvenience.

However, a Courts Service spokesman confirmed that following a review of court facilities nationwide, the need for court facilities has been identified in Shannon and the service has commenced a search for a facility to stage court hearings in the town.

He added, “the level of court business doesn’t warrant the Courts Service constructing a new building – instead we will be hoping to enter an arrangement with other agencies to allow us to use a building on specified dates.”

However, Barry Boland, Managing Director of Beaux Walk Properties, the company behind the €135 million redevelopment of Shannon said, “the people of Shannon could be justifiably very critical of all the public bodies who were all approached to locate in Shannon and declined.

He said, “We can’t do civic uses. We can design and build them, but the public bodies have failed to engage with us.”

Mr Boland said, “Except for us, no one has put money into Skycourt.”

The Courts Service spokesman said that the search for premises in Ennistymon has been unsuccessful to date. He said, “It has been quite frustrating and we are actively seeking alternative venues, but there is nothing there at the moment.

The spokesman said that the Courts Service is due to shortly advertise in its efforts to secure accommodation in Ennistymon.

The search comes after Judge Joseph Mangan expressed frustration with the current venue and stated that he will not sit in Ennistymon after September unless alternative accommodation is found.

Shannon-based councillor, Patricia McCarthy (Ind) said, “I would welcome the announcement. Shannon is Clare’s second town and does need a court. Already, we have lost Sixmilebridge court. Having the Shannon court sittings in Ennis is an inconvenience to everyone.”

THE awards evening for this year’s Write a Book initiative, organised by Clare Education Centre and sponsored by O’Mahony’s Bookshop in Ennis, was held at Dromoland Castle on June 7.

Awards of books were presented by Tom Kelly, District Inspector of the Department of Education and Science to children in categories such as junior infants, senior infants and first to sixth class, while all the children who participated received a certificate of achievement from the Clare Education Centre.

Hundreds of children throughout Clare, with the help of their teachers, were involved in the process, which saw them create their own publications.

A huge and varied collection was presented this year on a wide rage of topics and many of the books will end up in school libraries or as cherished items from schooldays.

A total of 2,030 books were published through the project, with close to 185 teachers involved. Many more schools participated nationwide to celebrate child creativity.

A MAN who got irate when he saw the dog warden taking his dog away has been convicted of a public order offence.

Niall Considine (40), of Church Drive, Clarecastle, appeared before Ennis District Court, arising out of an incident in Clarecastle in July 2005. He pleaded guilty to engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour.

Inspector Tom Kennedy said dog warden Frankie Coote was dealing with a matter involving dogs owned by the accused, when he got irate.

“He threatened Mr Coote to let the dog out of the van or he would kill him. He made other threats to Mr Coote, to the extent that he called the guards,” said the inspector.

Defence solicitor Daragh Hassett said his client would “not fully accept” there were words of that nature. He said one of the dogs was owned by the accused and his family and the other dog was owned by the accused’s uncle.

“Mr Considine says there were several dogs loose and two dogs were picked out,” said the solicitor.

He said the accused asked the dog warden not to take the dogs away and admitted he got irate. He said his client had now erected two steel gates at his house, to ensure an incident such as occurred on this occasion wouldn’t happen again.

Mr Coote told the court he had picked up both dogs earlier that day and brought them to the dog pound. The accused’s wife had followed him to the pound and he returned the dogs to her.

Judge Joseph Mangan heard that the accused had a number of previous convictions, including one for larceny. He imposed a fine of €250.

HOUSE building in the county has increased over the past 12 months, despite the reduction in planning permissions granted by Clare County Council.

But the 11.4 per cent reduction in planning permissions granted in the first three months of this year could lead to a significant drop in the number of houses being built over the coming years.

Figures revealed by the Central Statistics Office last week showed a marked decrease in the number of units granted planning permission in the past year.

During the first three months of this year 575 units were granted full planning compared to 716 during the same period last year.

Construction Industry Federation (CIF) Housing Executive Kevin Flavin told The Clare People that the 12-month figure showed a more significant reduction in planning permissions granted and a larger increase in the numbers of projects started.

The CIF executive pointed to a 19.7 per cent decrease in the number of planning permission granted between the 12-month period ending March 2005 and the same period ending March 2006.

Meanwhile, there was an estimated 27.8 per cent increase in building between the first five months of this year and the same period last year.

“Things are going very strong at this very moment in time, as in other parts of the country,” said Mr Flavin.

Commenting of the figure Clare County Councillor PJ Kelly said he felt they did not give a clear indication of building in the country as the figures did not account for withdrawn planning permissions.

He told The Clare People that the figures would not give a true reflection until the number of planning permissions applied for was compared to the number granted.

He said it was also his belief that the majority of refusals were in rural areas and for one off houses.

“It has been so difficult to get planning permission in rural areas,” he said.

Last year there were 2,487 planning applications with approximately 800 of those from rural areas according to the councillor.

Meanwhile, house prices in county Clare continue to experience huge growth increasing by 253 per cent over the last decade, according to a special edition of the permanent TSB House Price Index.

Compiled in association with the ESRI, the index shows that the average cost of a house in county Clare in 1996 was just €69,330. Ten years later the average cost had increased to €244,415.

Nationally house prices have increased even more – by 270 per cent over the past ten years.

GARDAÍ investigating claims that a woman was raped in a west Clare village last weekend have questioned a local man.

A 26-year-old woman, who is from the UK, and who was visiting Clare for the weekend, alleged to gardaí that she was raped in the bedroom in which she was staying.

She alleged that a man in his 30s went into the bedroom in the early hours of the morning and attacked her.

The allegations followed an evening’s socialising in the west Clare village. The young woman travelled to Ireland on Saturday evening, to stay with friends. According to the complainant, she met a number of people, including the young man who she later made the complaint about. The woman was staying at a friend’s house, and a number of people went back there, after they had socialised in a licensed premises.

A Garda spokesman said that while no-one was arrested, one man was questioned.

“We have questioned a local man, as part of our investigations and the investigation is continuing,” he said.

“The young woman alleges she was raped and that allegation is being investigated,” added the spokesman.

A PRIVATE prosecution taken by the father of a young man who was killed in a road accident in west Clare over two years ago has been withdrawn.

The case, taken by Seán Cotter, of Henry Street, Kilrush, against the driver of the car in which his son Gary was travelling when the accident occurred, was withdrawn at Kilrush District Court last Wednesday.

Mr Cotter’s solicitor Eugene O’Kelly said the State had dealt with the prosecution in the case and “accordingly, I’m looking to withdraw, strike out that.”

In May, Mark O’Gorman (22), of Woodfield Drive, Kilrush, was found not guilty at Ennis Circuit Court of dangerous driving causing the death of 20-year-old Gary Cotter, at Moyasta, Kilrush, on April 11, 2004. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was acquitted by a jury. Mr O’Gorman was driving a silver Ford Focus car from Kilkee to Kilrush when the accident occurred. Mr Cotter was a front seat passenger. The private prosecution taken by Mr Cotter was mentioned at Kilrush District Court last September, but was adjourned, until after the Circuit Court trial.

Meanwhile, an internal Garda enquiry is examining certain aspects of the initial Garda investigation into the death of the 20-year-old, after his parents raised grave concerns. Seán Cotter and his wife Mary say they are unhappy with the way the investigation was handled and say many questions remain unanswered. They complained to the Minister for Justice and an independent Garda investigation was subsequently established. A senior garda from outside the Clare Garda Division was appointed to carry out the enquiry.

SHANNON Development yesterday came under fire over its failure to date to appoint a tourism development officer for Clare.

Councillor Richard Nagle (FF) said that it was “extremely disappointing” that Shannon Development hadn’t yet made the appointment.

“We were told at a Clare Tourism Forum meeting last March by Shannon Development that the Tourism Development Officer for the county would be in place by April. That has come and gone and we were then told the appointment will be made in July,” he told Clare County Council’s Special Policy Committee (SPC) on Economic Development.

“We have requested that the person would work closely with the Clare Tourism Forum . . . but to date, we have met with no response.”

The council’s Director for Economic Development, Bernadette Kinsella said that it was disappointing that the officer hadn’t yet been appointed.

“There doesn’t seem to be any reason and it may be an in-house issue for Shannon Development,” she said.

Cllr Martin Lafferty (Ind) said that the Economic Development SPC had come up with the idea before Shannon Development jumped in.”

The SPC first proposed the post in March of last year in order to increase the annual tourist dividend for Clare.

Councillor Madeleine TaylorQuinn (FG) said it was critical for Clare that there was better coordination between tourism agencies.

“The difficulty has been that different agencies are competing rather than co-operating. There is a greater need for co-ordination between the agencies and a priority should be given to the establishment of a website dedicated to Co Clare,” she said.

The council’s then Director for Economic Development, Ger Dollard told the meeting that a specific rates rise of a half a per cent by the council could raise €100,000 towards the office of the post. He also pointed out that the tourist trade in Clare spent €4 million in marketing and €100,000 could be diverted towards the activities of the officer. But, the plan was set aside to allow Shannon Development announce that it was to appoint the officer.

THE Health Service Executive in the mid-west was forced to employ the services of a private ambulance company to cover emergency and routine calls in Ennis last week because its own staff were not available to work, it has emerged.

The HSE has confirmed it had no option but to hire the private ambulance to cover calls in the Ennis area on Saturday, June 24. The HSE spokesman confirmed that it is not common practice to employ the services of private ambulance firms to cover calls and does so only “when there is no other option.”

The ambulance, operated by a Kildare based private ambulance company was deployed in the town where it located itself in the carpark of a local hotel rather that at the general hospital where the HSE ambulance service station for the greater Ennis area is situated.

“Our primary concern is for the safety of the public. The question has to be asked, what qualifications do these ambulance crews have? Our understanding is that the driver of the private ambulance did not have adequate training while the second crew member was Polish and had little or no English,” one angry Emergency Medical Technician said.

The HSE has rejected these claims saying, “the private ambulance company operates in the four HSE areas and is HSE approved. It also has an ongoing training programme with the national ambulance training school. Both staff were qualified EMT’s and have fluent English.

“There are several other issues here as well. That ambulance was sent to Dublin with a patient. This left the HSE crew out of pocket by the loss of overtime and allowances. What’s going to happen next? This could become the norm across the board and where would that leave us? This is our biggest fear,” one Clare based EMT said.

“We are also concerned that this private ambulance was secretly parked up behind a local hotel awaiting calls from the Regional Control Centre in Limerick,” another EMT added. “Why wasn’t it based at the hospital or the ambulance station,” he added. In response the HSE said, “It is a matter for the private ambulance company where they base their ambulance once they are in the general area required and we can communicate with them.

“It is simply bad management. How can you have five people to cover holiday work while as many as 15 people are on holidays at any one time?” staff ask, claiming they were not told in advance of plans to bring in a private company.

The HSE has confirmed however that, “At several meetings, staff representatives have been informed that if HSE staff are not available, a private ambulance will be employed.”

The HSE also declined to comment on the reasons why staff were not available to work.

CLARE County Council has hit back at accusations by An Taisce that there was a lack of transparency in the decision to allow a contentious house development, near Lemanagh Castle in the Burren.

Last month, two senior council planning officials ignored professional advice from the area planner and the council’s conservation officer, and granted permission to Anna Maria Murphy to build a house near the 17th century castle.

Senior Executive Planner, Brian McCarthy, overruled the recommendations to refuse permission, after visiting the site at the request of Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) and discussing the application with Senior Planner, Liam Conneally.

In response, An Taisce appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanala, claiming that there was “a lack of transparency in establishing the circumstances in which the recommendations were overturned”.

The organisation claimed that the intervention was “not based on any memo or considered deliberation which is available for consideration on the planning file”.

However, in a five page submission to Bord Pleanala, supporting the granting of permission, the council said that An Taisce was “factually incorrect and disingenuous”, in claiming that the decision lacked transparancy.

In its submission, the council did not refer to the report made by conservation officer Risteard Ua Cronín, who said that the proposal had “the potential to do irreparable damage to the existing monuments and to set an unwelcome precedent for development in the vicinity of Lemanagh Castle and its unique 17th century house”.

Instead, the submission states that the proposal “will not have any adverse effect on the visual setting or appreciation of Lemanagh Castle”.

Pointing out that the site is located almost 500 metres to the east of Lemanagh Castle, the council states that, “the proposal will be functionally, physically and contextually detached from the visual setting of the castle, completely obscured in views by a number of intervening houses. The castle will not be directly visible from the proposed house and viceversa.”

The council pointed to the absence of any objection from the Department of the Environment over the archaeological impact of the proposal and said that Ms Murphy also met the criteria for securing permission under the council’s ‘locals-only’ policy.

“The applicant is the niece of the landowner who was born in the area and has been living with her uncle for the last five-six years and involved in part-time farming on the family landholding . . .”

A decision is due in September of this year.

A NEW company with a base in Shannon will be dealing with 60 per cent of the country’s hazardous waste and, as fuel prices soar, is planning to setting up a biodiesel plant.

Brian Cowen, Minister for Finance, launched Enva as the new corporate and brand name for the businesses formerly known as Atlas, Envirotech and Shannon Environmental Services.

With 70 per cent of Ireland’s hazardous waste still being exported, Enva, which has facilities in Shannon, Portlaoise, Cork and Dublin will aim to reduce Ireland’s exportation of hazardous waste through alternative waste recovery technologies. This consolidation of former companies Atlas, Envirotech and Shannon Environmental Services means that Enva, amongst other services, is the largest indigenous processor of hazardous waste processing over 75,000 tonnes, or approximately 60 per cent of all hazardous waste that is processed in Ireland.

Delegates present at the launch heard of future developments for Enva including the setting up of a bio-diesel production plant, a new solvent distillation facility and the opening of new facilities in Dublin and Cork.

The company is also planning to expand its in house research and development department.

Declan Ryan, Managing Director, Enva, said, “We are a nation that has some way to go in ensuring that our hazardous waste is not just some other country’s problem. There is often a myth perpetuated that there is no hazardous waste management infrastructure in Ireland, because of a lack of incineration facilities. While incineration may have a role to play within Ireland, our commitment is to more alternative recovery technologies, which are emerging and developing fast.”

Enva is a services company, providing innovative and environmentally better solutions to customers for disposing of a range of wastes. The company employs 203 people across four licensed facilities in the Republic of Ireland and two licensed facilities in Northern Ireland, Drumaness, Down, and Carryduff, Antrim.

At the launch, Finance Minister Brian Cowen, said that “waste sector in Ireland has changed quite dramatically in the last decade. It has rocketed to the top of the environmental agenda, right alongside issues such as climate change and global warming.

This has had enormous implications for all of us, in both the public and the private sectors, and has represented a great opportunity for some of the dynamic private sector participants.