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A MASSIVE €33 million shortfall in the Shannon Development pension fund will have to be met by the taxpayer.

Accounts recently filed with the Com- panies Office also show that the company would have made a much greater loss last year than the €1.6 million recorded, but for a €12.518 million profit made in selling off property. This included €4.2 million on the sale of Shannon town to Clare County Council.

The pensions deficit increased by €6.9 million during 2004. However, the accounts state that the exchequer will meet any short- fall, as a result of a High Court settlement between the Trustees of the pension fund, and the company and Department of Fi- nance last year.

The company’s pension fund stood at €46.5 million at the end of last year. But the anticipated cost of the fund — which gives each employee a guaranteed amount at the end of their working lives – is €80 million, resulting in the shortfall.

The company has declined in the past to give a breakdown of the numbers working in each department.

However, accounts show that the high- est number (75) work in industrial devel- opment, and these are the jobs threatened through the new mandate for the company announced by the Minister for Trade, Em- ployment and Enterprise, Michael Martin ETS aves

This is currently the subject of negotia- tions between SIPTU and the Dept of En- terprise, Trade and Employment, where SY UE ORS ee lacoseel olan stam comm ClUs nome soMBADIRUD KS of Shannon Development in promoting the Shannon Free Zone.

Staff costs, including salaries and pension provision, cost €14.535 million in 2004.

In a bid to reduce staff numbers, Shannon Development has had in place a voluntary retirement scheme costing €2.24 million over the past two years.

In relation to the transfer of Shannon town to Clare County Council, the company spent €690,000 on redundancy and €922,000 on other costs. And it cost €104,000 to remu- nerate its Board of Directors last year.

Underlining the importance of the com- pany’s property portfolio, the accounts show that €17.913 million was generated in rental income last year.

The company’s balance sheet shows that its fixed assets were valued at €150 million at the end of last year.

TALK of a possible coalition between Fine Gael and the Green Party could af- fect the larger party’s rural vote in the next election, according to rural housing lobbyist, Jim Connolly.

Speaking to The Clare People, the sec- retary of the Irish Rural Dwellers’ Asso- ciation warned that “courting the Greens is a high risk strategy when looking for votes in rural Ireland”’.

Mr Connolly accused the Green Party of being totally against one-off hous- ing, adding that Green county council- lor Brian Meaney expressed such views when he addressed the IRDA conference in Kilkee last September.

Cllr Meaney countered that Mr Con- nolly was listening to the “honeyed words of Fianna Fail, and they are the ones directing policy. Where are the Green Party members that are influenc-

ing this (one-off housing) policy?” he asked.

“Mr Connolly is blinkered in his thinking and his logic. He needs to re- visit some of the comments made to him in the past by members of larger parties. I went back (to Kilkee) and gave policy and no one else did,’ he said.

Cllr Meaney sent a transcript of his speech to The Clare People. In it he said, “T wish to state clearly that the Green Party is fully committed to the develop- ment and prosperity of rural areas.

‘Development and prosperity has to be achieved in a balanced and a sustainable fashion, and no reasoned argument can be made to allow uncontrolled develop- ment, be that badly-designed and sited commercial development, or uncon- trolled ribbon development along every road in the country.”

Cllr Meaney continued, “We believe the best way to maintain and increase

population numbers in rural areas, based on the evidence of the recent census, 1s to support villages and clusters, as vil- lages and clusters have held their popu- lation better than scattered communities in the open countryside.

‘Areas of population loss, as indicated by CLAR maps, match areas with poor or non-existent village and cluster struc- ture. This lack of structure is the main reason these areas suffered more popu- lation loss than others.

“Therefore, we believe that the best way to address population loss in weak areas is to create new villages or village clusters and to actively prevent further dispersal of settlement,’ he said.

Meanwhile Mr Connolly called on Fine Gael to publish its policy on one- off housing. He said while Deputy Paul Connaughton (FG) was very supportive of rural housing, he was speaking per- sonally.

A WARNING by well-known soci- ologist, Fr Harry Bohan, that plans for student accommodation in Shan- non “are sowing the seeds for serious problems” has failed to prevent the development getting the go-ahead.

An Bord Pleanala ignored the rec- ommendation of its own planner by granting permission to Brook Drive Properties for 35 apartments and a gym and cafeteria to accommodate 140 students at Drumgeely in Shan- non. And Fr Bohan has appealed the eleTert (Oye

In relation to the current proposal, a senior planning inspector with the Board, Brendan Wyse, stated, “It ap-

pears that there is already a signifi- cant shortfall in car parking provi- sion in the Drumgeely area.

“In this context, I do not consider that the proposed 31 spaces, though a considerable advance on the previ- ous proposal, would be an adequate compensation for the loss of an area with a current capacity for at least 60 cars. In conclusion therefore, I do not consider that the revised pro- posal overcomes the second reason for refusal.”

However, this was overturned by the Board which stated: “In decid- ing not to accept the Inspector’s rec- ommendation, the Board considered that there was sufficient car parking on site to facilitate the displaced car

parking serving the existing flats complex together with the proposed development.”

The application is the latest of several attempts to develop the site, which have encountered strong local Opposition.

Earlier this year, Clare County Council granted planning for the development only for a number of local residents, including Fr Bohan, to appeal the decision to An Bord lene

As part of his appeal, Fr Bohan, who lives at Drumgeely, wrote, “I am appealing this decision on so- cial and sociological grounds, but I am very aware of the other serious grounds for appealing it such as con-

travention of the development plan; parking space; road traffic and seri- ous question mark over ownership to the proposal.”

Also appealing in a personal ca- pacity, Fr Bohan — a member of the Clare senior hurling management team — said: “My objection to the proposed development is based on the fact that high density develop- ments of this kind, linked as it would be to 137 existing apartments and 13 houses, 1s sowing the seeds for ser1- ous social problems.

“The proposed development at Drumgeely has serious consequenc- es for people living in that area and indeed for the future development at Shannon.”

FEARS that a €35 million hous- ing development would have a negative impact on the operation of Ennis Golf club have been dis- missed by Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council.

This follows the two planning authorities giving the go-ahead to Joe McNamara to build 159 homes on Ennis’s Golk Links Road.

Ennis Golf Club did not object to the planning application. Howev- er, local residents opposed to the plan raised fears over the impact the proposal would have on Ennis Golf Club.

They stated: “The established in- tegrity of the golf course would be seriously undermined by the pro- posed development and its future viability would be uncertain.

“Tf basic land use conflicts are

to be avoided in the future, the present housing application needs to be refused on the basis that it will result in injury to the recrea- tional and visual amenities of the area.

“The proposed housing, because of its proximity to the existing golf course, would give rise to mutual conflicts and injury to both the amenities of the golf course users and of any residential properties which would adjoin it.

The residents also requested the County Council “to refuse the planning application, as the ap- plicant site is not appropriate for housing development in terms of isolation from the sustainable ur- ban structure as a whole”.

“There are no significant public transport facilities. The applicant has failed to include a proposal in relation to the co-ordinated and

integrated approach between land use zoning and public transporta- tion provision and the merits of the scheme having regard to the principals of proper planning and sustainable development.

“The proposed development will erode the semi-rural character of the area as there are sufficient lands zoned within the Ennis en- virons plan to cater for future ex- pansion within the plan and the is premature under the current plan.

“The development as proposed would be detrimental to the amen- ities of the area and the amenities of our property and the amenities of potential occupiers of the devel- e}eyetonim

The objection continued, “Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council should have major con- cerns in regard to the principal of the development. This is a site that

is on the periphery of Ennis town.

In adjudicating on the plan, the Council stated, “Although, the proposed development is located outside the designated Residential Development Area, in practical terms, the proposal cannot be con- sidered to be premature.

“Having regard to the Residen- tial Density Guidelines and the designation of Ennis as a hub town in the National Spatial Strategy the provision of housing at the pro- posed medium density and within walking distance from the town centre is considered appropriate.”

However, having regard to vari- ous provision of the Ennis and Environs Development Plan, the Council gave the planning appli- cation the go-ahead. The decision has now been appealed to An Bord Pleanala by local residents.

ENNIS Educate Together National School (EETS) may have to turn away new students if their current situation continues.

The school’s Board of Management has called on the Department of Education and Clare County Council to assist it in purchasing the site it currently occupies on the Gort Road in order to facilitate the building of a permanent school. The Board of Management are calling on local and national elected representatives to help the school achive its goal in the short term

and say they had received assurances from Clare County Council that it would support the school in purchasing the site.

Since 1998 the school has leased its current premises on the Gort Road from Clare County Council. While the Department of Education pay the majority of the rent, the school must make up the shortfall. The pre-fabricated buildings house over 160 pupils, 12 teachers and two special needs assistants, and accord- ing to school principal Sean O’Conthaola the structural limitations of the building means the school is bursting to the seams.

‘The difficulty here is really a practical one. Because it is a pre-fab the classrooms here are smaller. There are over 160 children in the school so we are officially full, we don’t have room for anyone else but we have a very open enrollment policy and we are very reluctant to turn anyone away. We are as full as can be. We have an application in for an extension and it just seems to be bad value to be throwing more money at it. The site can’t be developed either we don’t have the money to do it and the De- partment won’t give any grant aid to a site they don’t own.”

With around 60 per cent of the school’s stu- dents living within walking distance of the building, Mr. Confhaola believes that relocat- ing the school would impose an extra burden on parents while another difficulty facing the site iS proper access to the sewage system. The big- gest obstacle though facing any future develop- ment of the site, according to Mr. O’Confhaola is planning.

“The planning issue is a big problem. The development plan for the town has zoned vari- ous sites community, originally they had zoned them educational but that didn’t go through. We looked at a few of these sites that were zoned community, but they are not actually for sale. They are owned by private developers”. He went onto add that it was “unfair to keep the school waiting just because of bad planning”.

Earlier this year Clare County Council wrote to the Office of Public Works (OPW) regarding the Gort Road site and stated that in accord- ance with the Ennis and Environs Development Plan 2003 the land adjacent to the site of the school would not be considered consistent with the proper planning and sustainable develop- ment of the town. The OPW have said that they don’t accept that the Department of Education and Science and the OPW had forgotten about the school’s situation.

PLANS for a hostel and 39 homes for the north Clare coastal village of Fanore are encountering opposition from local residents.

In September, Tom Considine lodged plans for the 18-bedroom hostel and 39 homes on zoned land at Craggagh, Fanore. According to a statement with the plans lodged, the hostel “will be a major contribution to the tourism industry in Fanore as at present, it is not possible to stay overnight in Fanore, except for Bed and Breakfasts.”

Mr Considine also encloses a let- ter from auctioneer, John Vaughan, which states that property is in huge demand in Fanore and it is rare property of any kind to come on the market.

However, the proposal is en- countering opposition from local residents. In an objection lodged on behalf of Rita Dowling, it states that Ms Dowling has no objection in principle to development but has

serious concerns about the scale of the proposal, the negative impact on the laneway to the side of the devel- opment and the absence of public sewerage.

“The anticipated growth over the Development Plan period from 2005 to 2011 1s for an additional 10 units

for permanent residential units. The applicant proposes 39 houses within five years and argues that there is a demand for this scale of develop- ment for permanent occupation,” the statement continues.

‘The locals do not want more holi- day homes, nor would such homes

lead to any sustainability with re- spect to the proper planning and de- velopment of the area.”

A separate objection lodged on be- half of Margaret Leyden stated, “One has to remember that until about 15 years ago, Fanore was by and large an idyllic virgin landscape. However, since then development pressure has increased and is, at present, serious- ly threatening the very existence of this visual amenity, some in part by the Council in trying to reinvent the house in the vernacular, others not complying with their permissions.

“The housing scale as proposed is totally out of scale with any lo- cal vernacular. It must be pointed out that in the County Development Plan, this whole area is deemed to be a ‘vulnerable landscape’ on a scenic route. How does the proposal comply with these objectives. We would suggest that they are in direct conflict.”

A decision is due on the applica- tion later this month.

APPROVAL has been given to try to make safe a junction which was the scene a recent fatal accident.

38-year-old Shane Browne from Meelick lost his life in a two-vehicle collision at Harold’s Cross, an acci- dent black-spot where dozens of cars have crashed and many people have lokero em Oleba me

The November meeting of Killaloe area councillors was told that cash had been set aside and stop signs or- dered for Harold’s Cross.

Councillor John McInerney, who put a motion to the council request- ing the safety measures, was told by officials that signage had been or- dered and that every effort will be made to highlight the junction.

But calls from other councillors for changes to speeding controls in the area met with a mixed response from gardai and road engineers.

Of 21 requests from Cllr Cathal Crowe for alterations to speed lim- its, just three were granted.

These were at Barry’s Cross, where the 60 kph limit will be extended to a point 10 meters west of the post of- fice junction, on the Roo/Broadford road and the Roo Post Office junc- tion where the limit will be reduced from 80 kph to 60 kph.

Cllr Paschal Fitzgerald had asked for an increase in the 50 kph limit at the Longpavement and it was agreed that this would go up to 60 kph, while Cllr Tony O’Brien was grant- ed an extension of the 50 kph speed limit at Hill Road in Killaloe.

The meeting was attended by members of the gardai who, along with the county’s road engineers, had been involved as consultants on the list of requests for advised re- strictions.

Cllr Crowe said that he was not happy with the refusals. “There’s no doubt that East Clare is being used as a rat run. These are requests based on what the residents in these areas are telling me.

“These are the people who have to live in these areas and they are

crying out for speed controls,” the councillor said.

Clir Tony O’Brien said that while he understood that his colleague was acting on behalf of residents, ““These decisions were made in consultation with people who are experts in traf- fic management and I feel we should

accept their recommendations.”

Officials told the meeting that all of the limits and restrictions on roads in the area will be made public to give residents a chance to make any submissions they wish to, once the regulations have been adopted at a full council meeting.

KILRUSH brothers, Anthony Kelly (26) and Joseph (23), have pleaded guilty to assaulting two men in the town on April 11, 2004, at Ennis Cir- cuit Court.

The assault by the brothers, who were armed with a hurley and a bow- saw, resulted in two men being hos- pitalised. One of the victims, Martin Walsh, told the court he was hospi- talised for seven days, had 11 staples

put into his head and an operation on his arm. He has been on disability al- lowance since the incident. The other victim, Tony McNamara, had 14 sta- ples in his head and spent two days in hospital. Detective Sergeant Dav- id Sheedy told the court that Joseph Kelly hit Mr Walsh on the head with the hurley. Mr Walsh fell to the eround and was hit several times in the body by the two assailants. Tony McNamara witnessed the incident, and was also knocked unconscious.

Det Sgt Sheedy said the two victims were completely innocent.

Asked about the background to the assault, the garda said, “It’s hard to say, but it’s going back to an incident of a car belonging to a brother of one of the injured parties being burnt out. The problems relate to two groups of people and there are ongoing tit-for- tat problems. There are still prob- lems with the situation in Kilrush. It is important that the two Kellys don’t live there. If they did, they would get

dragged back into this feud,’ said the garda.

As part of their bail conditions, the Kellys have resided in Cork since April. The court heard that Antho- ny Kelly had 32 previous convic- tions, and Joseph 16. In both cases, a number were for road traffic of- fences. Counsel for Anthony Kelly, Michael Collins BL, asked Judge Carroll Moran to take into account his chent’s guilty plea.

“Mr Kelly is crime-free and hassle-

free. His is not a record of violence. Mr Kelly has no future whatsoever in Kilrush,” said the barrister.

Judge Moran said that a compensa- tion offer of €2,500 to each victim was inadequate. He ordered that the monies be paid over and the Kellys pay additional compensation at the February sittings of Ennis Circuit Court. He remanded them on con- tinuing bail with the same conditions attached that they remain out of Kil- Mets ep

CLARE County Council has been warned that policing rates of pay or conditions of employment on the new Ennis bypass, is not its role.

This was one of a raft of cau- tions from County Solicitor, Michael Houlihan to members in a “secret” document circulated at the local authority’s May meet- neta

The contents of the document have until now been confidential, because of a vote by councillors that the press be excluded from the meeting. But, The Clare Peo- ple can now reveal those contents, despite Mr Houlihan warning that the information is legally privi- leged.

In his letter, Mr Houlihan warned the council, “You know how important the Ennis bypass is to the council and the region. We must do nothing that endan- gers the contract.

‘There are statutory authorities charged with policing rates of pay and conditions of all employees. It would be foolhardy for the coun- cil to jeopardise its relationship with the contractor at this vital stage of the development.

‘The council is not a competent authority to police rates of pay or terms and conditions of employ- ment, and should be careful not to assume this role either now or in the future.”

Mr Houlihan continued, “There is nothing to prevent GAMA from contracting with its employees for the payment of wages in a manner different to our standard practice, provided the wages are not lower than those established for the in- dustry where the work is carried out.”

Mr Houlihan warned of serious potential consequences, in terms of cost, of a breach in the con- tractual relationship between the council and contractor.

“Alternatively, this may trigger a potential action from a disap- pointed tenderer who may take the view that GAMA may have an unfair advantage, and this may expose the council unwittingly to a claim for damages of a very se- rious nature,’ he wrote.

“T deem it vital that there is no publicity emanating from man- agement or members of the coun- cil which could interfere with the contractual relationships that cur- rently exist.

“IT emphasise that this advise is given not to inhibit or muzzle the comments that you choose to make, but merely to preserve the legal status of both the council and contractor and its existing re- lationship in the light of the cur- rent difficulties.

“T would also like to empha- sise my personal concern that all workers employed in contracts with the council are properly treated.”

BROADFORD farmer and Vice-Chair- man of the ICMSA beef committee Martin McMahon was in Birmingham this week to represent the organisation in a unique Farmers For Action (FFA) summit meet- ing.

Mr McMahon, who was joined by the IC- MSA’s dairy committee chairman Domin- ic Cronin, joined with leaders from farm- ing organisations representing farmers on both sides of the Irish Sea to ward that fur- ther actions are planned to highlight the erowing plight of farmers.

The FFA organised a three day strike for its organisations members earlier this month. The purpose of the summit was to co-ordinate efforts in the wake of the strike by farmers on both sides of the Irish Sea to secure fair prices for their produce from the so-called retail giants.

Along with the ICMSA, the National Sheep Association (NSA), the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW), the Northern Ireland Agri- cultural Producers’ Association (NIAPA), and the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’

Association (ICSA) were in attendance. “There was unanimous agreement on a course of further action to drive home the message that farmers are not receiving a fair share of the retail price for key prod- ucts such as dairy, beef and lamb,” said FFA leader David Hanly.

“One thing that has become clear is that consumers want farmers to get a fair share; in fact, one pole showed that 78 per cent of consumers would be willing to pay more.” He added that there 1s a commitment from all the organisations to co-operate further, and more protests and activities are being looked at. In the meantime, he challenged the retail giants to publicly accept that farmers are not getting a fair deal and to do something about it immediately. Speaking after the meeting Dominic Cronin said the ICMSA was absolutely de- termined to focus attention on farm prices, and he repeated the demand made by ICM – SA for legislation to govern the minimum price retailers can pay farmers. Mr Cronin said ICMSA was willing and able to build alliances with any other organisations ded- icated to protecting farm income.