Category: News

A MAJOR step forward in promoting North Clare as a top destination for walking tourism was made on Thursday with the announcement that a much-sought-after walking route connecting Liscannor and Doolin will go ahead.

Contract for the restoration of the walking track were signed in Doolin last week with work on the route likely to get underway early in the new year.

Walking tourism has been heralded by many as the possible saviour of the tourism industry in Clare.

In 2009, walking tourism passed out both golfing and surfing to become the activity which attract most tourists to County Clare.

Both walking and cycling have seen a renaissance for holiday-makers in recent years and it is hoped that the restoration of the 12.7 kilometres route between Doolin and Liscannor will help to put Clare on the global map for walking tourists.

The path has been earmarked for experienced walkers and will take walkers along the iconic Cliffs of Moher from Doolin to Hags Head, and then on minor roads into the village of Liscannor. The project has been made possible as a result of 39 private landowners who have pledged to support project.

“The upgrading of this coastal path will offer a unique perspective on coastal walking along an area of land that is world renowned,” said Eimer McCarthy of Clare Local Development Company (CLDC).

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the agencies involved and especially to thank the landowners for their time and support until now, and in the coming months, during the upgrading works.”

Seventy five per cent of the funding for the initiative is being provided by Fáilte Ireland under the National Development Plan 2007 to 2013 with the balance being funded by Clare County Council and Shannon Development.

Clare Local Development Company secured the involvement of local landowners in the project, which is being supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The successful contractor for the project is County Wexford-based Metro Building Contractors, while Burren Way Ltd will manage the walk when it is completed in April 2012.

“We have been challenged to make the Burren Way a world-class walking route and following other significant developments on the route in recent years the addition of the Clare Coastal Walk will go a long way towards achieving our goal,” said Gerard Kennedy, Chairman of Burren Way.

ENNIS Town Council has announced a reduction in spending on the town’s sculpture initiative saying it is not possible to fund new pieces next year.

The measure was announced as part of Ennis Town Council’s budget for 2012, which was adopted last week.

In his annual report, town manager Ger Dollard stated that three major sculpture initiatives were progressed during 2011.

He explained, “The relocation of Icarus to the Rocky Road roundabout; the installation of the Information Age Town Sculpture at Clon Road Park and the commencement of preparatory work for a major piece at the market roundabout were also advanced.”

Mr Dollard continued, “The completion of these three projects is a very significant addition to the over- all Ennis Sculpture Trail. The budget provision for 2012 does not provide for any new pieces. The provision made will assist in maintaining the extensive sculpture trail that is now in place.”

Mr Dollard told the meeting that it is not possible to provide funding for new or additional pieces.

Councillor Johnny Flynn (FG) said the council had significantly invested in public art initiatives such as the Wallcandy project.

He said Ennis is one of the bestserved towns per square kilometre for sculpture in Ireland.

He said the council made a huge commitment to cultural and community-based initiatives. Mr Dollard told the meeting that the council would increase its provision for priming grants next year.

He explained, “The council reviewed its Priming Grants Scheme during 2011 and introduced funding bands for different sized estates. The council met all applications received as it is vitally important that such partnership arrangements are encouraged and maintained so that the town can be presented to the best possible standard for residents and visitors alike.”

He added, “I have increased the provision for the priming grants scheme in 2012 to € 18,000 to assist community groups undertaking valuable works in maintaining and improving their estates. Contributions are again provided in the draft budget for Ennis Brass Band, Ennis Book Club Festival, Ennis Trad Music Festival, Ennis Fashion Week and Promote Ennis.”

Cllr Mary Coote Ryan (FG) said it had been a “wonderful year” and that at a time of recession, the council had made a number of significant achievements.

“Even though things are tough, we keep motoring on for next year,” she added.

THE newly appointed head of the Clare Tourism Forum has singled out co-operation between the county’s tourism providers as the key to Clare unlocking its tourism potential in 2012.

Barbara Faulkner of Aillwee Cave in Ballyvaughan has been appointed the new chairperson of the Clare Tourism Forum. She replaces Joe Russell, general manager of Doon beg Golf Club, who held the position throughout 2011.

“What I would like to see for the coming year and for the future is more networking and coming together of all of the tourism providers within the county. Collaboration is key to moving forward,” she said.

“Tourism is very important to County Clare with huge potential for growth, but we all need to take responsibility for it and to ensure that everyone visiting the county has a memorable experience.

“What I would like to see for the coming year and for the future is more networking and coming together of all of the tourism providers within the county. Collaboration is key to moving forward. Tourism is very important to County Clare with huge potential for growth, but we all need to take responsibility for it and to ensure that everyone visiting the county has a memorable experience.

“I am looking forward to the year ahead and the many challenges that it will present. Since its establishment in 2005, Clare Tourism Forum has been very active in promoting Coun- ty Clare both at home and abroad, and all that hard work and dedication is starting to show. However, we need to continue promoting the message that when it comes to choosing a destination for a holiday or short break County Clare has it all.”

The Clare Tourism Forum was established in 2005 to provide a collaborative approach to tourism pro- motion in County Clare. The forum’s members developed and hosted a number of initiatives aimed at promoting the local tourism sector during 2011.

One of the highlights of the year was the Gala Clare Tourism Networking event which attracted more than 200 Clare tourism providers in May, while more than 400 golfers from around Ireland participated in the second annual Clare Ultimate Golf Challenge.

Tourism operators throughout Clare also took park in educational tours of Clare during March and April. The event was designed to encourage cross promotion and networking among Forum members and the wider business community.

QUESTIONS have been raised over the influence a community research project might have on the future development of Ennis. The first phase of ‘Ennis 2020 – People, Place, Potential’ was launched in Ennis in November. The community visioning exercise is the product of a joint initiative between Ennis Town Council and University of Limerick. The main objective of the project is to support the development of a participatory plan for Ennis as a hub town in line with the National Spatial Strategy. The opinions of over 300 people were canvassed including those of 30 young people.

The project’s report presents perspectives on what local people think Ennis will look and feel like in 2020; the strengths and assets on which it can build; how the image of Ennis might be improved and how Ennis might be developed further as an inclusive town.

In a report presented at the council’s annual budget meeting, town manager Ger Dollard states, “Further work has been done on this project and three working groups have been established to assess the outcome of the consultation process and distill information and ideas generated down to an overall strategy for Ennis as a hub town.”

Speaking at last week’s meeting, councillor Peter Considine (FF) asked how the project was being funded. He said the project’s approach appeared to be a “very broad brush” for the future planning of Ennis. He said he would not like to see an advisory group determining Council policy.

Town clerk Leonard Cleary said three working groups had been established through the Ennis Municipal Policy Committee. The meeting heard that the groups do not have a budget.

Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind) said the group operated on an advisory basis and potential decisions would have to be “rubber stamped” by the council. Mr Dollard also announced a reduction in the council’s budget for twinning initiatives from € 9,000 in 2011 to € 5,000 in 2012.

He added, “Invitations have been ex tended to Ennis’ sister town in Phoenix, Arizona, through Ennis Phoenix Twinning Board for a formal visit to Ennis in 2013. Arrangements are also being made through the Twinning Board to have participation of a band from Phoenix in the Ennis St Patrick’s Day Parade 2013.

FURTHER upgrades are required at wastewater treatment plants in Ennis in order to ensure balanced development of the town, a meeting has heard.

Clare County Council received a grant of permission for the € 2.8 million upgrade of the Clonroadmore wastewater treatment plant from An Bord Pleanála in November.

The development will see the upgrading of the existing wastewater treatment plant from a design capacity of 17,000 population equivalent to a design capacity of 30,150 (pe). The proposed works include (a) an increased storm water storage capacity, (b) the provision of a new clari- fier, (c) the provision of a picket fence thickener (PFT) for sludge treatment and (d) the provision of a tertiary treatment system.

Speaking at Clare County Council’s annual budget meeting, former Mayor of Ennis, councillor Tommy Brennan (Ind) said the town had been waiting for an upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant at Clareabbey since 1995.

Welcoming the development at Clonroadmore, Cllr Brennan said similar progress was required at the Clareabbey facility. He said, “I’d like to see balanced development of the town so the town can develop properly”.

Senior Engineer Sean Ward said the council has prepared a preliminary report on works for Clareabbey. He explained that improvements to the Ennis wastewater network would be carried out on an incremental basis.

Mr Ward told the meeting that approval had been sought for the Clondroadmore plant because it is “overloaded” while capacity at Clareabbey is on a “knife-edge”. He said the council had secured a license from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Clonroadmore while none is yet in place for Clareabbey.

In a report, Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) stated that two projects costed at € 8.7m will proceed to construction under the council’s 2010-12 Water Services Investment Programme (WSIP). Cllr Arkins, who is Chair- man of the council’s Environmental and Water Services Strategic Policy Committee (SPC), explained that a further five projects will proceed to planning during these years.

Cllr Arkins continued, “Consultant procurement for the Ennis watermain rehabilitation project will be completed in 2011. This project is expected to commence construction in 2012. Close liaison with business and other stakeholders in the town will be required in order that any work carried out does not adversely affect daily running of business.

“The aim of the project is to replace older mains, which either are costing significant amounts to maintain or are causing hydraulic constraint and low pressure and to obtain a saving on lost water within these areas. All service connections on these mains will be replaced.”

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said the Council might have to consider introducing water byelaws for commercial and domestic users to prevent leakages from the network.

Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind) called on the Council to expedite progress of the Shannon sewerage scheme otherwise the town is “going to flowed out of it in sewerage”.

He was also strongly critical of plans to impose water rates on volountary and sports groups. He described the € 450 standing charge as a “hidden stealth charge”.

“We are attacking their very existence,” he added.

MEMBERS of Ennis Town Council last night adopted a budget amid concerns that a continued drop in the amount of money collected from commercial rates could lead to an “across the board” cut in services next year.

The comments came as councillors agreed to maintain the current level of parking charges (€ 1.30) and commercial rates (€ 65.45).

The council will spend an estimated € 12,166,958 in 2012 despite an 8.98 per cent cut in the local government fund allocation. In his annual report, Town Manager Ger Dollard states that the council’s three primary income sources – grants, rates and parking charges – “have been under sustained pressure”.

Mr Dollard told the meeting that the rate of collection of commercial rates currently “falls below what is acceptable. He said that unless the council examines more ways of collecting rates, “there will be a serious impact on the services we can provide”.

Mr Dollard said rate collection currently stood at 60 per cent, down significantly on the desirable 85 to 90 per cent rate. Pressed by Green Party councillor Brian Meaney on what services could be cut given the difficult retail environment forecast for 2012, Mr Dollard said services would have to be cut “across the board”.

However Mr Dollard added that there was no element of panic about the issue at the moment and that the council expected to run a surplus in its end of year accounts.

Cllr Meaney said he was not seeking to scare local authority workers with stories of New Year cuts.

Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) said, “I would appeal to rate payers, if they can pay, to pay for their services they are getting.” The meeting heard that income from parking charges fell significantly in 2011.

Mr Dollard stated, “The increase in parking charges in 2011 by 10c to € 1.30 was designed to partially recover the VAT increase. In my report on the budget 2011, I advised council that they would need to revisit the issue in the budget for 2012 to full the bridge the income loss in the area.”

He continued, “It is clear that that wider economic environment has continued to deteriorate and parking income will be significantly below budget this year. In the current business environment the option of further increasing parking charges in 2012 to recover the VAT element is not realistic. In addition the increase in VAT rates from 21 per cent to 23 per cent in the national budget imposes a further cost on the council in 2012. This 2 per cent VAT increase will result in an estimated additional cost on off-street parking of € 12,000.” Mr Dollard explained that the council, in conjunction with the local business community, had engaged in a number of initiatives aimed “stimulating economic activity” and promoting the town.

He continued, “It is clear that communication of the parking offer with- in the town to the wider public needs to be strengthened as there would appear to be a lack of awareness of the long term parking options.”

The budget for parking income and fines for 2012 of € 1,324,000 shows a reduction of € 184,000 over 2011.

In the area of commercial rates, Mr Dollard states that the council intends to maintain the commercial rate for 2012 at the level adopted in 2009.

He said, “The general rate on valuation proposed for 2012 is € 65.45. At the present time there is no buoyancy in the valuation base and the number of vacancies is a cause for concern.”

Mr Dollard also told the meeting that the € 100 household charge would not have any impact on the council’s budget.

SHANNON Airport can finally realise its full potential and chart a new future for itself away from Dublin Airport Authority control, as bodies like Shannon Development and Clare County Council and private sector interests step up to manage its affairs.

That’s the view of Shannon Development this week as the regional development agency has welcomed the new vision for the airport’s future that has been recommended to the Government by Booz and Company consultants.

Sources have revealed that developing a ‘Luton Airport model’ with Shannon, whereby it would remain in public ownership, but was operated by a private sector body that also included Shannon Development and Clare County Council.

“Shannon Development is a natural partner,” said Shannon Development chief executive Vincent Cunnane. “This is very much in line with what Shannon Development has recommended has revealed.

“We would be happy with that. We have believed for a long time that separation from the DAA is vital for Shannon to realise its full potential,” he said.

“I think that is the view of the region. I believe you need more competition in the airport sector in Ireland. What works for Dublin and possibly Cork, is not actually working for Shannon,” he added.

Shannon Development played a key role in the running of Shannon up until 1995, concentrating of a marketing and route development role within the airport – a link that current chief executive, Vincent Cunnane has described “some of the its most successful days, certainly its most innovative”.

A potential Clare County Council involvement in Shannon was endorsed in November when councillors gave their unanimous support to a local authority submission calling for public sector bodes to be given a frontline role in managing the airport.

The council said that its involvement would “have a number of distinct advantages in that the public sector authorities have a vested interest in the sustainable development of the region”.

The submission also called for the airport and adjoining landbank to be “vested in the people of the region through the democratically elected local authorities on a long-term basis”.

“The airport would remain in State ownership, through the public sector authorities in the region,” emphasised Clare County Manager Tom Coughlan.

“That could be the local authorities in the region, the local authorities with Shannon Development, it could be the local authorities, Shannon Development and Shannon Foynes port. It’s the public agencies operating in the region,” he added.

THE cost of maintaining and managing each Traveller accommodation unit in Clare that’s managed by Clare County Council is now running at nearly € 7,000 per house – a figure that’s 11 times higher than the average cost towards the upkeep of an ordinary council house.

These startling figures that reveal financial burden on Clare County Council when it comes to Traveller accommodation is contained in the Draft Budget for 2012 that’s now be- ing considered by the 32 members of the local authority. The Clare People has learned that for each of the 63 Traveller accommodation units in the county that’s made up of 50 houses and 13 service bays, Clare County Council will have to pay an average of € 6,904 in maintenance and managing costs during 2012.

And, this huge figure when it comes to spending on each individual unit is magnified by the fact that it average cost towards maintaining Clare County Council housing stock around the county is just € 598.

This figures are revealed against a backdrop last October’s admission from Clare County Council that it has spent € 20 million on Traveller accommodation in Clare since 2001.

“Expenditure on maintenance and legal costs in Traveller accommodation continues at a disproportionate level,” county manager Tom Coughlan has admitted in presenting the council’s Draft Budget to councillors this week.

The 2012 budget includes a sum of € 235,000 for maintenance of the 11 group schemes in the county, a further € 199,750 for management costs and € 128,000 for legal costs, with the county manager outlining the local authority’s efforts at reducing the financial burden because of legal fees.

“The council has made a submission to the department seeking a complete review of the administrative processes involved in referring a complaint to the Director of Equality Investigations and the introduction of regulation to govern these processes,” Mr Coughlan has revealed.

BUSINESSES have been urged to take appropriate security measures at Christmas to prevent instances of “opportunistic” crime.

Senior gardaí met with local businesspeople in Ennis on Thursday night to promote greater awareness of crime prevention at an event organised by the local chamber of commerce. Gardaí also outlined their plans for dealing with crime over the festive period and warned business people to remain vigilant of counterfeit or “dud” money.

Asked about specific aspects of crime, Sgt Paul Slattery told the meeting at the Rowan Tree Hostel that there have been instances of “travelling crime gangs” coming to Ennis. However he added that gardaí haven’t encountered much of that activity lately.

In a presentation, Sgt Slattery urged business people in Ennis to take security of their premises and assets seriously. He said appropriate measures helped to protect staff, reduce losses and avoid the risk of increased insurance premiums.

Sgt Slattery told the meeting that “opportunism” was one of the most common factors in all crimes in Ennis. He said thieves are deterred by little money being readily available on premises. He explained that criminals look for premises with poor security measures in place and where there is a lax attitude to security.

Sgt Slattery recalled how in one burglary, thieves were granted easy access to a night’s takings after a clearly labelled key was left by the business owner beside the safe.

Practical security steps that can be taken, Sgt Slattery explained, include: not leaving large sums of cash in tills; training staff in security procedures; maintaining safe keys under dual control and varying the times when cash is transferred to the safe.

Emphasising the importance of CCTV, Sgt Slattery said cameras should be linked to a lighting system. Supt Peter Duff said given the low level of burglaries in Clare, CCTV enabled gardaí to rule in and rule out suspects.

Supt Duff said fully functional and properly managed CCTV cameras often play an essential in Garda investigations. He told the meeting that footage from Garda CCTV combined with that from cameras outside premises can be used to track a suspect’s movements.

He said that 90 per cent of crime in Ennis is “opportunist” and that very few break-ins are linked to organised crime.

President of Ennis Chamber and local businessman, John Dillane, said light is the “greatest deterrent” to criminals.

In relation to ‘beat on the street’ activities over Christmas, Supt Duff told the meeting that Garda resourc es would be concentrated in maintaining a visible prescence on Ennis’ streets.

SHANNON Airport is likely to escape any major downturn in passenger numbers as a result of the official conclusion of US military operations in Iraq. An estimated 229,000 US military servicemen and women travelled through Shannon Airport in 2010 – more then 12 per cent of the entire passenger population who used the airport.

However, The Clare People understands that the vast majority of US military personnel who are currently using the airport are flying on to based in Afghanistan and Germany and will not be effected by the fall off in numbers travelling to Iraq.

While last week’s announcement of an official end to the US military occupation in Iraq will have an impact on the throughput at Shannon Airport, a number of these flight will continue to operate between Shannon and Kuwait instead of between Shannon and Iraq. All US military flight which land at Shannon Airport pay the same airport charges that are paid by regular commercial operators at the airport. The US military troops have also become an major generator of revenue for the Shannon Duty Free shop over the last decade.

The Department of Foreign Affairs have also confirmed that they did not receive any advanced warning from the US authorities that US operations in Iraq, which use Shannon Airport, would be coming to an end.

Shannon Airport handled an estimated 1.8 million passengers in 2010 but number are expected to be significantly lower for 2011. The airport is currently estimated to be losing in the region of € 7 million each year.

Meanwhile, noted economist and former government adviser, Dr Alan Ahearne, has warned that Clare and the west of Ireland will not escape unscathed from the current crisis which is effecting the Euro.

Dr Ahearne, who was speaking at the Shannon Chamber of Commerce’s annual President’s lunch, which took place in Dromoland Castle on Friday last, said that the one saving grace was that the Irish are “more resilient” than other people.

“Europe is muddling through the Euro crisis, with no definite comprehensive solution on the table and no ECB big bazooka. The Euro needs a new architecture, which involves stricter surveillance of national fiscal and economic policies and a proper centralised framework to resolve crises,” he said.

“Much of the hard work has already been done here. Three-quarters of the budgetary adjustments have been made, the banks have been restructured, and we are seeing significant improvements in our cost competitiveness. However, we won’t escape unscathed.”