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THE Whelan Group has confirmed its status as one of the country’s largest quarry operators by increasing the size of its business by one quarter in 12 months.

The group’s most recent returns to the Companies Office show profits increased from €2.77 million in 2002 to €3.338 million in 2003, resulting in accumulated profits of €12.2 million.

Turnover increased from €46 million in 2002 to €58 million in 2003, making the group one of the most successful home grown businesses in Clare.

In 2001, the size of the company’s business stood at €35 million.

The accounts also show that the numbers employed increased from 289 in 2002 to 305 in 2003, with employee costs going from €6.94 million to €8.13 million.

A recent purchase of Polish quarrying company, PW Properties which owns four Polish companies in the quarrying and construction sector, underlines the expansion.

The Whelan Group has negative goodwill of €8 million, due in part to the the acquisition of PW Properties.

The principal activities are described as “the manufacture of quarried stone, readymix concrete, precast concrete and asphalt products.

“The group is also engaged in road surfacing, road and bridge construction, sewage schemes, landfill construction and other associated civil works.”

In all, the group controls nine separate companies.

These include CW Shipping and Shannon Explosives. Others include Whelan Limestone Quarries, Whelan Limestone Quarries (Contracts) Ltd, Whelan Asphalt Products, Whelan’s Quarries (Carrigtwohill) and Staleen Properties.

The group has €95 million in assets, although the real value of the asset base is probably higher, as the quarries were last valued in 2002.

Some €12 million was spent in 2003 to acquire new assets, while the company’s net debt increased from €38 million at the start of 2003 to €56 million by year end.

The accounts also show that the group’s directors received salaries of €340,000 in 2003, while three directors availed of interest free directors’ loans.

In 2003, Paddy Whelan received an €84,551 loan, Enda Whelan received €90,000 and John McKeogh received €30,000.

THE Whelan Group has spent almost €7 million on a contentious explosives factory that has yet to be built, according to its accounts.

Seven years have now passed since the group, through a subsidiary, Shannon Explosives, made an unsuccessful planning application for the plant at Cahercon, Kildysart.

An Bord Pleanala rejected the proposal in 2003.

The company is now five months behind schedule in re-lodging a revised planning application.

The accounts state that plans for the contentious factory were due to have been relodged with Clare County Council last December.

The accounts also show that €2.8 million was spent on licensing and planning for the explosives plant in 2003.

This was in addition to the €4 million the company admitted to spending on the plan, at an An Bord Pleanala oral hearing in October 2002.

This included the purchase of a nearby convent.

In relation to the spend of €2.8 million, the company’s accounts state, “The recoverability of this expenditure is subject to obtaining planning permission for the construction of an industrial explosives plant at Kildysart, Co. Clare.”

The €6.8 million total doesn’t include the costs of preparing the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the new application that is shortly to be lodged.

An Bord Pleanala expressed no opposition to the project in principle, but refused planning on the grounds that the extent of proposed filling on the site had not been adequately dealt within the company’s EIS.

The Bord suggested that this would be best dealt with by a new application for planning to the council.

In the accounts, the group expresses confidence that the new application will be successful.

“The company’s planning and legal advisors are of the opinion that planning permission will be forthcoming for a revised planning application accompanied by a revised EIS statement adequately dealing with the filling of the site.”

A spokesman for the Kildysart Explosives Factory Opposition Group (KEFOG) told The Clare People that if any new application was lodged, they would oppose it, saying, “We are ready and willing for battle.”

Earlier this year, Paddy Whelan, Managing Director of the group, said planning for the factory would “not be a major issue.

“I am confident it will get through. The proper planning procedure will have to be gone through, that is it.

“We have done it before and we will do it again. There was a lot of scaremongering over the previous proposal.”

ENNIS’ Mayor, Cllr Frankie Neylon this week defended the town council decision to erect a 10 ft high wall between a new council estate and a private housing development in Ennis.

At the April meeting, councillors approved the plan to build a €10 million social and affordable housing scheme on lands formerly owned by the Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh. As part of the development, the local authority has acceded to demands by the residents of the private estate, Bishop’s Court to erect a 10 ft high wall around their estate.

The residents association of Bishop’s Court made the demand “to ensure that our estate is a safe place to live in, and that preventative measures are put in place to reduce the fear of crime”.

However, the National Housing Association, Threshold, expressed concern over the move to erect the 10 ft high wall. A spokesman said: “This should be about building communities, not separating them. This is reminiscent of gated communities you come across in South Africa. The wall itself come become a source of tension. It is seen as a solution to a problem that there isn’t any evidence for.”

However, Cllr Neylon told The Clare People : “The wall is necessary to prevent anti-social behaviour. It is there for the benefit of both residents of the new estate and residents of Bishop’s Court.”

Cllr Neylon praised the contribution of the residents of Bishop’s Court. He said: “We could see the problem for the residents of Bishop’s Court. I met them on a number of occasions and they asked for very little. They also stressed that they supported the council providing social housing in Ennis.

“I believe that the wall is necessary and part of it was already part of plans drawn up by the council.”

The residents also demanded that the boundary wall between their estate and the Bishop’s Westbourne residence be increased to the 10ft height to prevent a growing trespass problem. However, the Diocese refused to sanction the wall. According to a council memo, the Diocesan office said that there isn’t a trespass problem of any significance at present.

The Diocese stated that if in future, trespass becomes a problem, the Diocese would be amenable to revisiting the situation. As the proposed wall lies outside the proposed development site, the Department of the Environment, according to the council, “was very clear” on the issue – “there is no way to justify expenditure in private property outside the site.

In its submission, the Bishop’s Court Residents Association confirmed their support for the provision of social housing in Ennis.

ENNIS Town Council is being asked to give the thumbs down to nuclear power as a form of alternative energy.

Today the council is expected to debate a motion tabled by Councillor Donal Ó Béarra calling on Ennis Town Council to become a member of the Nuclear Free Local Authorities Network.

The motion also calls on the authority to underline its opposition to nuclear power and its commitment to safe and clean energy resources.

The network recently voiced its opposition to the establishment of a nuclear power station in Northern Ireland, and Cllr Ó Béarra believes that, given recent debate over the controversial topic, the council should set out its own opposition to the nuclear option.

“I think it is important that the council sends out a clear signal outlining its opposition to nuclear power. There are obvious problems with how to deal with waste. We should make a statement of intent that we would be nuclear free,” he said.

The dangers of nuclear power were highlighted as people throughout Clare commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

A recent TV show depicting the likely consequences of an explosion at Sellafield raised questions about the measures in place to cope with any such accident.

“There does seem to be a debate that has been reintroduced about renewable energy sources. I would hope that the council accept the motion, but the important thing is to raise awareness about the issue.

“It should be seen to be our intention that we are looking at sustainable forms of energy renewable. It is an environmental imperative,” added Cllr Ó Béarra.

IN A last gasp effort to force the National Roads Authority (NRA) and Galway County Council to include a second entrance to Gort in the planned Crusheen to Ennis bypass, GRACE (Gort Regional Alliance for Community and Environment) has lodged a 5,000-word environmental impact statement.

The submission was made by GRACE on behalf of 22 separate Gort-based groups including the Brazilian Association of Gort, the Gort Chamber of Commerce and the Lion’s Club.

It argues that the road, in its current guise, will be economically and socially devastating for the town.

The submission raises a number of key points including the town’s rapidly expanding population, the level of traffic through the town daily, the impact of the bypass on tourism, and safety issues.

In the submission, it is claimed that the current population of the area has been represented incorrectly and future growth has been grossly underestimated.

According to the 2002 census the population of the town was recorded at just 1, 776 persons. However GRACE estimates that by 2016 the population of the town and its surrounding areas will be in excess of 9,193.

“Gort has experienced a 50.3 per cent increase in population over the last six years. It appears to be the fastest growing town in this region with more than double the growth rate of Ennis or Crusheen,” it is stated in the submission.

GRACE also points to a great difference between the official NRNS traffic projections for the town and those carried out by Harewood Associates.

Harewood’s analysis shows that over the past five years traffic on the N18 has grown at almost twice the rate predicted in the NRNS.

THE Labour Party spokesperson on health has warned that the future of the Accident and Emergency Department at Ennis General Hospital may not yet be secure and accused the Government of refusing to give a straight answer on the subject.

Liz McManus (TD) cited the “desperate” response of the Clare people as the main reason why the Accident and Emergency facility was maintained in Ennis. She was speaking at the Burren Law School which took place in Ballyvaughan over the weekend.

“I am happy that the mad notion that the Government had about closing the Accident and Emergency in Ennis looks to be buried for the moment. But still you can never get a straight answer out of them (the Government) and they say that the Handley report is still policy,” said Deputy McManus.

“The people response was so desperate that to close down the Accident and Emergency in Ennis would be unwise for them.”

The Wicklow-based TD also accused the Government of neglecting parts of the west, especially in relation to breast cancer screening.

“The Labour Party has been running a campaign looking for equality for women in the west and the south when it comes to brest checks. It is absolutely outrageous that you cannot access care based simply on your address and where you live. The government is responsible for this,” continued Ms McManus.

“Without any doubt we need more beds in the system – we need at least 2,500 acute bed and 2,000 community beds as well as more long-stay beds in the community.”

THE Dáil has been told that Ennis General Hospital has reached crisis point, with Deputy Pat Breen (FG) describing conditions at the hospital as “appalling”.

The TD told deputies about recent shocking episodes at the hospital. These included:

• An elderly man with a heart condition who went to Limerick for tests and, upon his return, discovered that his bed was occupied. He had to stand for more than three hours because no chairs were available.

• A woman who presented to the hospital with a nose bleed. She was from west Clare and had travelled 40 miles to Ennis, yet after waiting several hours, was told to go to Limerick Regional Hospital.

“Today, 119 patients are occupying this 88-bed hospital, including six on trolleys and many more in day wards,” Deputy Breen said.

“That does not describe the discomfort, misery and loss of dignity suffered by patients who present for care. The waiting room is cramped and people are often forced to stand for hours due to the lack of seats. Despite these issues, we are told there is no crisis.”

But he stressed that medical staff were beyond reproach for operating in such conditions.

“Over the past 10 years, €20 million has been promised, but aside from a portakabin on the front lawn, not a penny has been spent in upgrading the hospital. The hospital does not even have a CT scan facility.”

Deputy James Breen (Ind) said that the accident and emergency department in Ennis was so crowded a few weeks ago that patients were put in the reception area.

“I tabled a question to the minister regarding whether there was a health and safety issue and she replied there was not. What would happen if a chair blocked an exit door to the chamber and a fire broke out?”

Deputy Breen said that if Clare’s Government TDs were happy with what was going on, they did not want to be returned at the next election.

“Thanks be to God the people of Clare were not conned and I am delighted they saw through the Government parties during the last election campaign. They will see through them again next year when I am returned to represent their interests and speak out on their behalf.”

In response, Deputy Sean Power stated that if Deputy Breen “had his way, he would also be a Fianna Fáil backbencher now”.

THE National Roads Authority (NRA) has prevented another individual along the EnnisKilrush road from securing planning permission. In refusing permission to Oliver Breen, An Bord Pleanála overturned the decision of Clare County Council and ignored the recommendation of its inspector.

This provoked an angry response from independent councillor, Christy Curtin this week, who said, “The Board should be guided by the advice of its own inspector.

“I am disappointed. I know the site and it is a case of merit.

“The Board and inspector are obviously not working in tandem and that is creating hardship for the likes of Oliver Breen who have been negatively impacted by the NRA’s hardline policy in west Clare.”

Almost one third of the 18 appeals the NRA lodged nationally last year were in the west Clare electoral area and it has been successful in all appeals – bar one – in Clare.

In the case of Oliver Breen’s plan for a home at Ballyduneen, Knockalough, Kilmihil, the Board’s Inspector ruled that the proposal would be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The NRA lodged an appeal, claiming that the proposal would endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard due to extra traffic generated; set a precedent for additional development along this road; and was at variance with national policy in relation to control of frontage development onto national roads.

The Board ruled that, as the site is located alongside the National Secondary Route N68 at a point where a speed limit of 100 km/h applies, the traffic-turning movements generated by the proposed development would create a traffic hazard on this national road.

The Board also refused planning having regard to the low-lying nature of the site, including the presence of vegetation indicative of poor drainage. The proposed development would, therefore, be prejudicial to public health.

The Board stated, “In deciding not to accept the Inspector’s recommendation to grant permission, the Board was not satisfied that the proposed development would not constitute a

traffic hazard and, on the basis of the soil suit ability test results, the Board was not satisfied that the site could be drained satisfactorily.

“The Board was also not satisfied that there was not a more suitable site on the overall family farm landholding.”

PLANS to redevelop the Burren Exposure interpretative centre on the outskirts of Ballyvaughan have hit a stumbling block.

Clare County Council has refused two of four applications by Christy and Pauline Quill to redevelop the business, now known as Burren House. The Quills – who operate six Quills Ireland outlets in the Cork-Kerry region – purchased the business last June for close to €3 million. However, the interpretative centre has operated at a loss for the past eight years and no longer operates, while the Whitethorn Restaurant also made a loss in the last financial year.

In a submission on the need to transform the enterprise and provide more commercial space, the Quill’s consultants state that the main rationale for the additional retail space “is to subsidize the existing uses and ensure the viability of the enterprise.”

The submission states, “Without the proposed changes of use and the extension of commercial display area, our client will not be able to re-open the centre given its financial performance.”

The Quills lodged four applications: to change the use of the Burren Exposure from exhibition space to commercial space and exhibition; construct an extension to the sales area; construct an extension to the existing Whitethorn restaurant; and convert a boathouse for accommodation.

The plans sought to increase commercial space at Burren House by 235 square metres. The original centre was built in 1990 as a craft centre and restaurant and in 1997 an interpretative centre was added.

Christy Quill told The Clare People , “We intend to re-submit one of the applications and are confident it will get through.

“The restaurant and craft shop are going very well and our plan is to use the space occupied by the interpretative centre. I believe that what we are doing will enhance the site and the village and I don’t see us setting up in opposition to anyone else.”

The council refused planning permission to the two related retail applications.

“The council granted permission to the Whitethorn, concluding that it wouldn’t injure the amenities of the vicinity having regard to the rural nature, intended use and policies of the Clare County Development Plan.”

THE residents of the Meadow this Sunday welcomed special guest Dr Willie Walsh to officially open the 16-home project developed by the Kilmihill Community Housing Association.

Built on parish lands, donated by the diocese, the project took on the name of the field in which it is built. The two-bedroom houses were designed to prevent elderly people going into residential care prematurely and keep people in their own community.

Local contractor Louis Keating finished the building work in April 2005 and the first resident moved in. That resident, Nancy Boland was on hand on Sunday to plant a commemorative crab apple tree. The Kilmurry McMahon woman was all smiles as she marked not just the Meadow’s official opening but also the approach of her first anniversary in her Kilmhil home.

Following 11am Mass on Sunday, the Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Walsh, unveiled a stone-cut plaque at the entrance of the housing complex. He then blessed each house individually and even called in for a short visit to all 16 homes. Afterwards, the residents and local community enjoyed refreshments in the on-site community centre before making a presentation to the bishop.

The last of the 16 houses in the Meadow were filled in March.

Husbands and wives, siblings and single people from Kilmihill and surrounding parishes have made the Meadow their new home in the last year. People have even returned from the USA and England to live there.

Members of this new community now look out for each other, with members of the wider community popping in from time to time.

Each house has two bedrooms, a kitchen dining area, conservatory and a bathroom.

The land for the project was provided by the parish and €55,000 was given in further assistance to fit out the Community Centre by Leader. It is in trust to the local committee and owned by the community. The residents pay a small rental income with many qualifying for supplementary allowance.

The Meadow in Kilmihill and projects like it across the country are saving the government millions of euro in nursing home fees every year. In the last number of months, some people have left nursing homes to live in the purpose-built and closeknit community.

The Department of Environment are anxious to create more places like The Meadow for elderly people to live as the elderly demographic increases.