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OFFICIALS at Clare County Council remain confident that major flood relief works to protect homes and businesses in the south of Ennis will get the approval of An Bord Pleannála.

The Ennis South Flood Relief Scheme will see works carried out in Ballybeg and St Flannan’s College areas of the town.

A bank of the River Fergus from Doora Bridge to Clarecastle will also be strengthened as part of the works.

Councillors in the Ennis Electoral Area were given a progress report on the project yesterday.

Senior Engineer Tom Tiernan told the meetings that the council had submitted an Environmental Impact Survey (EIS) to An Bord Pleannála. He said a number of statutory bodies, including the Railway Safety Commission, had made submissions on the project.

He told the meeting that an issue had arisen regarding the cost of the embankment works.

Asked about a timeframe for the works, Mr Tiernan said the council hoped to receive a decision from An Board Pleannála in January.

He said that depending on the length of the tender process, work on the project could be complete by 2014.

The project forms part of a series of flood relief works to be carried out on a phased basis in Ennis.

Phase one of the € 26 million Ennis Flood Relief Scheme, which involved works at Parnell Street and Mill Road, is credited with preventing floods in large areas of the town centre during November 2009.

Phase two will see improvements to river walls and other flood defenses on the Fergus from Bank Place to Doora Bridge. The work will include the construction of new structural embankments, preformed reinforced concrete walls and three storm water pumping stations.

Mr Tiernan said the tender process is nearing completion and that 2014 is a “realistic target for completion at this stage”.

THE annual Éamon De Valera Commemoration in Clare will take place this Sunday at the People’s Park in Ennis at 1pm.

At 12pm there will be a mass at Ennis Cathedral in memory of deceased members of Fianna Fáil in Clare. After mass, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin TD will lay a wreath at the De Valera Monument before delivering an oration.

Clare Fianna Fáil TD, Timmy Dooley, who is part of the organising committee, said the commemoration is always a very important date on the calendar and it gives an opportunity for members of Fianna Fáil in Clare to remember party colleagues who have passed away.

“The legacy of Éamon De Valera in Clare, Ireland and throughout the world has been well documented but it must not be forgotten that he served the Clare constituency with distinction for nearly 40 years. Sun- day is an opportunity for the people of Clare to remember the impact De Valera had.

“This Sunday will also be a chance for people to commemorate all the deceased members of Fianna Fáil in Clare,” said Deputy Dooley.

Following the event on Sunday there will be lunch afterwards in the Old Ground Hotel, Ennis. All are welcome.

A PROBLEM resident has taunted neighbours plagued by anti-social behaviour by claiming he will buy their homes if they want to leave a troubled estate.

The man, a convicted criminal, made the claim in a letter delivered to homes in the estate in Ennis.

Residents have suffered numerous instances of anti-social behaviour and raised their concerns in a meeting with senior Gardaí in Ennis last month.

The situation got so bad for one mortgage payer that he has been forced to leave the area to live in another part of Ennis.

Other residents are also believed to be considering leaving.

According to one person who has seen the letter, the document contained an element of threat.

Gardaí have been made aware of the situation and extra patrols have been visible in the estate.

The typed letter was hand delivered by members of the man’s family to certain homes in the estate.

In it the man boasted that he could afford to purchase homes in the estate and give them to members of his family.

In the letter he refers to a wide circle of cousins who he would like to see move into the estate, if his neighbours felt they wanted to leave.

It’s understood that the letter was delivered after a local newsletter highlighted the presence of Garda patrols in the area.

A Garda spokesman confirmed yesterday that a delegation of residents of the estate had raised their concerns during a meeting at Ennis Garda Station.

Ennis councillor Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) said new legislation is required to protect residents from anti-social behaviour.

“People who live in estates and other areas should be able to live in peace.

“People should be living and working together to make estates better environments to live in,” he added.

THE Fianna Fáil leader was in Shannon on Friday to launch the State Airports (Amendment) Bill 2012, which states that Aer Rianta International (ARI) must be part of any future independent Shannon Airport.

The Government is proposing to cut the Clare airport loose, erase its estimated € 100 million debt, and give ARI to the Dublin Airport Authority.

The opposition party argues, however, that for the airport to survive, it must retain ARI, and is willing even to keep the debt if the profit-making company is retained in its Shannon birthplace.

Clare Fianna Fáil TD and Transport spokesperson Timmy Dooley said Fianna Fáil does not agree with separation at the moment.

“If that is the decision that is taken, it is imperative that Shannon has the appropriate means to survive into the future,” he said.

“Shannon in its current format even if you had no debt – is not profitable and unlikely to be profitable, now in a recession and in a normalised environment, unless you drum it down to a Farranfore style airport. If it is just a Farranfore style airport it is not going to accommodate the larger jets that are such an integral part of the US tourism business here. The infrastructure needs upgrading, so it needs a recurring revenue base,” he told a group in Shannon.

Among those listening were former airport employees Liam Skelly and Michael Hanrahan.

They argued that money directed to Dublin through ARI should be repaid to Shannon and Cork.

“Writing off the € 100 million is in no way compensating Shannon. We must make sure that Shannon gets a viable chance of being viable for the future,” said Mr Skelly.

“I feel that we need someone independent spells out what Shannon has lost by not having ARI and not getting a piece of the sale of the Great Southern Group. To date Shannon has made € 100 million during the 16 years it was under the old Aer Rianta.”

It is also estimated that ARI made € 160 million in the last eight years.

“Fianna Fáil believes that in the middle of an economic crisis, separating Shannon from the DAA is the wrong thing to do. However, we support the work of the steering group; particularly the aviation business development task force in identifying business opportunities for the new Shannon entity and the change management task force committee in working towards the transitional arrangements; charged with developing Shannon Airport and the region,” said Deputy Dooley.

Meanwhile the Government is expected to announce details of an arrangement with Ryanair and possibly other airlines in the coming weeks. “We are all very clear that hitching your boat entirely to the Ryanair brand certainly leave you open to potential difficulties in the future,” said Deputy Dooley.

A LARGE amount of stone has reportedly been stolen from walls on sections of the Burren Way walking trail in Corofin. The stone has been removed from privately owned boundary walls in the Wood Road area of Corofin and the Vigo area of Kilnaboy in recent weeks.

Limestone pavement exported from the Burren is being sold for premium prices in parts of the UK and even countries in mainland Europe. While it is currently unclear if this stone was removed for sale abroad, the removal of limestone pavement from the Burren has become a growing problem in recent years.

It is currently illegal to remove limestone pavement from any area which falls within the Burren National Park.

“The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) police the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) inside the national park but there are other areas which are vulnerable,” said Burren-based geologist and member of the UK and Ireland Limestone Pavement Biodiversity group, Stephen Ward.

“This Burren limestone certainly does end up in garden centres in parts of the UK and I would suspect that it also goes as far away as Holland and Germany. There is a European-wide market for it.

“It is estimated that as much as 8,000 tonnes of this stone are ex- ported every year form Ireland. So there certainly is a market for it. The Burren National Park is protected and limestone pavement is considered to be a priority habitat for conservation in these areas.”

Limestone pavement has been offered to sale in many garden centres in the UK for the last 40 years. The spread of modern machinery coupled with the rising cost of the decorative stones themselves has made it easier for people to excavate and export the stone for sale.

THERE have been calls for Ennis Town Council to drop a controversial charge for use of facilities at the Lees Road Sports and Amenity Complex.

Last February members of Ennis Town Council voted through byelaws which allowed for the introduction of a new € 40 charge to be levied on clubs for the use of facilities at Lees Road.

It followed a number of meetings where strong opposition was expressed to the charge. According to the council the charge is needed to cover the high costs of maintaining Lees Road.

The area charged for relates to a section of re-developed track that borders woodland at the rear of the facility’s synthetic running track and all weather soccer pitch.

The November meeting of Ennis Town Council heard calls for the charge to be dropped.

The meeting was attended by representatives of local athletics clubs.

In a motion, Cllr Paul O’Shea (Ind) proposed that the byelaws be amended “with regard to the charging of fees for the cross country track”.

Cllr O’Shea said the charges for a 600 metre section of cross-country track is unfair. He said clubs are being “victimized” as individuals and other groups are not being charged for the use of the same section of ground.

“This is a nonsense. That charge needs to be dropped,” he added.

Cllr Mary Howard (FG) said athletics groups are being “charged on the double” for the use of the synthetic track and the cross-country track.

She said athletic clubs had already paid € 2,000 to Lees Road in the past five months. Cllr Mary Coote Ryan (FG) also called for the byelaws to be amended.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said, “It’s unfair, this particular byelaw, it should be amended.”

Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind), who is chairman of the Lees Road management committee, said the matter should be raised at the council’s budget meeting.

He added, “There has to be a reasonable charge for Lees Road. I would hate to see a situation where Lees Road has to close for two or three days because of a lack of finances.”

Cllr Neylon said the committee had never received a complaint from any of the clubs using Lees Road.

Yesterday’s discussion followed a recent meeting between sports clubs and some councillors in the Auburn Lodge Hotel.

Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) said the council should proceed with a promised review of byelaws and also hear from Lees Road general manager Tim Forde.

Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) said he agreed with Cllr Meaney’s suggestion that the byelaws be reviewed.

Town Clerk Leonard Cleary acknowledged the effort of voluntary organisations.

He said it was not “procedurally possible” for the council to change the byelaws immediately. Mr Cleary added, “The Lees Road facility is a significant cost to the council…there are significant ongoing maintenance costs there.”

The matter is to be discussed at the next meeting of the Lees Road management committee.

IRELAND’S two national fisheries organisations are at odds over plans to construct a large organic salmon farm off the Clare coast. Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) last week came out against the farm in its current form, saying that there has been a major lack of research into the impact that it would have on the local environment. The farm is being proposed by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), who claim that the farm could create as many as 500 jobs for the local economy. BIM have launched a pe- riod of public consultation into the proposed farm, with agencies such as An Taisce and the Galway City Salmon Angling Association also coming out against the proposal. The IFI was formed in 2010 after the amalgamation of the Central Fisheries Board and the seven former Regional Fisheries Boards. While the IFI and the BIM are State bodies, the IFI is responsible for river fisheries, while the BIM is tasked with promoting offshore, sea fishing activities. The IFI last week claimed that the fish farm could cause a major infestation of the salmon smolts that currently spawn in rivers in North Clare and South Galway, including large wild salmon stocks on the River Corrib. In an official submission to the BIM proposal, the IFI claim that there is a “considerable risk” that sea lice from the proposed sea fish farm will affect salmon migrating to rivers in the area. The group also questioned the methodology used by BIM, saying that recent research into the salmon migration in the Galway Bay area had been overlooked. According to BIM, the proposed fish farm has the potential to produce 15,000 tonnes of organic-certified salmon, create more than 500 jobs and inject more than € 14.5 million into the local economy.

FIANNA Fáil in Clare has been accused of cynical political opportunism as it launched an amendment to the State Airport Act.

Leading the charge was Labour TD Michael McNamara who said, “Fianna Fáil had their chance over many years to secure Shannon and they blew it. The party has no credibility on Shannon or on Aer Lingus. The State Airports Act 2004, a piece of Fianna Fáil legislation, enabled the transfer of Aer Rianta International (ARI) to the Dublin Airport Authority, and the establishment of a Shannon Airport Authority to run the airport without Aer Rianta International.

“All Clare’s Fianna Fáil TDs and senators at the time voted for it, including the current transport spokesman. It’s easy to talk the talk in opposition. Walking the walk when they were in government was a different matter. Why did Fianna Fáil use the power they once had to transfer ownership and control of ARI from Shannon? And why are they now singing a different tune?” he asked.

“The Fianna Fáil leader and the Transport spokesman need to recognise that this Government proposes to leave Shannon debt-free, this is an enormous contribution at a time of harsh economic conditions. Making Shannon debt-free and leaving the international travel retail company with the airport, is a phoney suggestion from the party which contributed so much to landing us in the mess we are in.

“I am confident that there will be a turnaround at Shannon. There is growing optimism that flight numbers will increase in the coming year. A new structure and good marketing will create a new dynamic at Shannon, which we all hope will generate new business and employment in the region. Something new and positive is being done by this Government following years of neglect by others,” he said.

WHILE questions may remain over the future management of Shannon Airport, business at the ailing airport got a boost yesterday with the announcement that daily transatlantic flights to Philadelphia will resume next year.

After a four-year absence, US Airways announced that it would begin the service on May 22, generating an additional 30,000 passengers through the airport next year.

The new flights to Philadelphia the sixth most populous city in the US – will operate on a daily basis with a two-class 176 seat Boeing 757 aircraft. The service will run until September 3, departing Shannon at 11.35am daily, and arriving in Philadelphia at 2.05pm local time. The return flight leaves Philadelphia at 9.05 p.m., arriving in Shannon at 8.40am the following day.

Welcoming the news, Mary Considine, Director of Shannon Airport said, “This is a great boost for Shannon as it adds another new transatlantic service for 2013. We are really pleased also to be welcoming US Airways back to Shannon and look forward to helping them build a strong base of business and leisure travellers to and from Philadelphia, as well as cities that they serve beyond the gateway.

“Philadelphia is a major hub for US Airways and offers onward connections to 175 destinations in the USA, Canada and the Caribbean so this opens up huge opportunities in terms of markets to and from Shannon through Philadelphia.”

Said Andrew Nocella, US Airways Senior Vice President, Marketing and Planning. “As a popular destination in Europe, US Airways is thrilled to return to Shannon with seasonal service from our international gateway at Philadelphia International Airport.

“Beginning next spring, our customers will again have non-stop access to both coasts of Ireland. Customers can begin their trip with the Cliffs of Moher outside of Shannon and end it with seeing all that Ireland has to offer. As an additional benefit, customers can clear U.S. customs and immigration before departing Shannon, allowing for a quick and efficient arrival experience at Philadelphia International Airport. Customers who receive pre-clearance at Shannon Airport arrive as domestic passengers, are able to check their baggage through to their final destination and ultimately reduce the amount of time needed to connect to their next flight.”

ENNIS Town Council needs to work towards a long-term policy of increased pedestrianisation in Ennis, a meeting has heard.

The message came as the council announced details of its Christmas pedestrianisation programme.

O’Connell Street and the lower part of O’Connell Square will be closed to traffic from 12 noon to 6pm on December 15, 22, 23 and 24.

Abbey Street and the upper part of O’Connell Square will remain open to traffic during the festival period.

In a report, Town Clerk Leonard Cleary said the council must consider “the signal that these intermittent pedestrianisation pilot periods are sending to customers and visitors to Ennis”.

Mr Cleary stated that while there are “historical objections to full pedestrianisation of Abbey Street, The Square and O’Connell Street are acknowledged, the feedback from customers is that pedestrianisation is a preferable experience in some new areas of the town.”

He added, “Ennis Town Council needs to be working towards a longterm solution regarding some increased level of pedestrianisation or indeed a compromise that presents a continuous trial in at least one of the three additional proposed areas.”

Mr Cleary stated that pedestriani- sation remains an objective of the Ennis and Environs Development Plan.

Mr Cleary stated that imminent opening of the Inner Relief Road would offer improved access to a town centre pedestrianised area.

Town Manager Ger Dollard said the road is expected to open in November.

Mr Dollard said the council’s place names committee would bring for ward suggestions for the name of the road next month.

Cllr Frankie Neylon (Ind) said ‘Bothar na Rince’ had been suggested as one possible name.

Free parking will be in place during December up to 12 noon daily as part of the Christmas Pedestrianisation Initiative.

Mayor of Ennis Peter Considine (FF) said it was important that staff of shops are encouraged to free up parking spaces for shoppers.

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said every space taken up a staff member represents a loss to business of € 250 per space.

Mr Cleary said the council had received a submission on pedestrianisation from Ennis Chamber of Commerce. He said Gardaí had no objection to pedestrianisation.

Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) urged the council to write to businesses in Abbey Street and Parnell Street as historically they had not been represented by the Chamber.