The Clare People Archive

THE BATHING ban imposed after an algal bloom outbreak in Lake Inchiquin could be lifted this week.

An environmental officer for the council has said that a vet’s examination has revealed there was no link between the death of a dog and the outbreak earlier this month.

The animal was one of two which was thought to have died after drinking water from the lake. But a spokesman for the council’s environmental department said yesterday that a post mortem examination on the dog revealed no link with the bloom.

“A second dog was also said to have died from drinking the water, but that animal wasn’t examined so it’s inconclusive,” the spokesman said.

The bloom was reported even before the recent heatwave, which produced ideal conditions for the algae to multiply.

“But we have had no reports in recent times about a bloom. We will be consulting with the scientists and if there is no toxicity present, we will take down the ‘no bathing’ notice and put up a precautionary notice to warn people to watch out for the bloom instead,” the spokesman said.

A similar procedure is to be put in place in Lough Derg, where another algal bloom forced the council to slap on a bathing ban in recent weeks.

Tests in the last week have shown that the water is clear of toxins which can cause severe skin irritations and even death in animals.

“The precautionary notice is what North Tipperary council has adopted on Lough Derg and that is the path we will be going down,” the spokesman added.

This is the fifth consecutive year that algal bloom has caused bathers to be banned from the waters of Lough Derg, one of the county’s biggest tourist attractions.

The problem starts with phosphates getting into the water system from household waste water and agricultural run-off.

These are super-nutrients for the algae and when they are combined with hot weather and calm water, a bloom occurs.

Business and environmental organisations have expressed concern about the regular outbreaks, pointing to the damage which is being done to the environment and to the tourism industry.

THE Whelan Group has strenuously rejected accusations from objectors to its planned multi-million euro expansion of its flagship operation at Fountain, Ennis that the company is a “cowboy developer”.

In company documents to An Bord Pleanala, the Whelan Group states: “We do not accept the very offensive allegation of the Cairn Hill Protection Environmental Group that this company is a “cowboy developer”.

A four day oral appeal hearing concerning the planned expansion of the quarry ended last month and a decision is due in the case later this year.

Clare County Council has limited the life-span of the quarry to 10 years, while local residents have outlined their opposition to any extension.

However, in documents submitted to Bord Pleanala, the Whelan Group states that it has operated quarries in Cork, Limerick and Roscommon. It acknowledges that the company has received warning letters under the Planning Acts in relation to some of its operations, but the vast majority of these warning letters have been found to be unfounded allegations.

In relation to its Fountain operation, the company states that the quarry has been in operation prior to 1963 and doesn’t require planning permission.

The company points out that a number of ancillary facilities have been constructed at the Fountain operation, including two tar plants, offices, two stores and extend an existing laboratory and that planning permission has been granted for all those developments.

They state: “We do not accept the appellant’s contention that this company is a cowboy developer. As it is clearly demonstrated that the applicant has extensive planning history in the existing quarry at Fountain Cross, which currently is in the registration process under Section 261 of the Planning and Development Act.”

The Whelan Group also points out that the Cairn Hill Environmental Protection Group Ltd “has been very active in objecting to every single development or application for license that this company has put before the council since its formation. . .

“While we fully respect the group’s right to appeal any development, we are deeply concerned that in fact the sole objective of the group is to appeal any development proposed by this company.”

PLANS for a €20 million housing development on Ennis’s Quin Rd that Ennis couple, Vincent and Anne Coffey lodged an objection against, have been withdrawn, it emerged yesterday.

Last year, Luxury Homes Ltd lodged new plans with Clare County Council for 108 two-bedroom apartments at Doora on the Quin Rd.

Previously, the Coffeys received over €100,000 and two free sites from Luxury Homes after withdrawing their objection to a €20 million housing development, which has now been fully constructed.

However, the Coffeys successfully blocked a subsequent application by the same developers in June 2004 to build a new €10 million development on zoned lands in Ennis, after their appeal to An Bord Pleanala on the application was upheld.

The application that was before the council in recent months was on lands adjacent to that which concerned the 2004 application.

The Coffeys – who operate a business in close proximity to the propsed development – and a number of other local residents, objected to the current proposal.

In their objection, the Coffeys stated: “The density of the proposal is excessive when taken in context with the established pattern of development in the area. This submission simply seeks to maximize density to the detriment of the future residents of the area.

“This disintegrated zonal separation of residential areas, traffic routes and open space being created by the proposal is undesirable and no effort is being made to integrate it with the adjoining permitted development, carried out by the current applicant.”

The payment to the Coffeys only emerged in correspondence received by An Bord Pleanala while it was adjudicating on the 88-residential unit development that was refused in 2004.

According to the Board Pleanala Inspector’s report, a letter from the Coffeys pointed out that at no time did they approach the developers with the intention of securing payment of money, gifts, consideration of other inducement by any person.

In relation to the current application, the council took on board a number of the concerns expressed by the Coffeys and the other local residents, requesting a raft of further information from Luxury Homes.

The company had proposed new access arrangements for the development and route the traffic through the existing Bruach na hAbhainn estate.

A decision was due on the application last Thursday, however it was withdrawn by the company two days previous.

Often applications are withdrawn when there is an indication that the plan is set to be refused planning permission.

THE Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) has secured planning permission for an additional 1,000 car-parking spaces, to cope with the spiraling passenger numbers going through Shannon.

The decision by Clare County Council to grant planning permission for the proposal follows continued growth at Shannon for the first half of 2006.

Figures provided by the Shannon Airport Authority show that 1.4 million passengers passed through Shannon.

The SAA expects 3.5 million to use the airport in 2006, compared to 3.3 million in 2005.

To date this year, the SAA has seen overall traffic increase by 20 per cent, with transatlantic traffic up by 13 per cent, European traffic up by 31 per cent and UK traffic up by 21 per cent.

Work is expected to commence shortly on the additional carparking spaces which will bring the overall number to 4,500 spaces at Shannon. In granting planning permission for the proposal, the council expressed its preference for the SAA to pursue a multi-storey car-park option.

The grant of permission for the car-parking comes one month ahead of the SAA commissioning the long-awaited €2.8 million sewage treatment works for the airport.

Planning was granted for the works in August 2004. The provision of the sewerage facilities is part of the €80 million the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) is budgeting to spend on capital infrastructure over the next 10 years, on drainage, water supply, additional car parking spaces and replacement of apron concrete.

The provision of the sewerage facilities will end the pumping of 100,000 cubic metres of untreated sewage into the Shannon estuary Special Area of Conservation (SAC) each year from the airport terminal.

However, the estimated 100,000 cubic metres was based upon two million passengers using Shannon – last year, 3.3 million passengers used the airport. The delay and the requirement to put in tertiary treatment as a result of an An Bord Pleanála decision in 2004 added €500,000 to the cost of the works. Work would have started on the project, only for An Taisce to appeal the council’s decision to An Bord Pleanála.

SHANNON Development has welcomed the Ryanair announcement of two new routes from Shannon Airport to Bournemouth and Edinburgh and has promised a tourism marketing blitz.

But the airline also announced that it will be pulling out of its Shannon to Luton run on the day the new routes start.

“Shannon Development is delighted with the Ryanair announcement of two new services for Shannon Airport which will open up the Shannon Region to two new direct markets”’ said John King, Director Heritage and Tourism, Shannon Development.

He said that since establishing their Shannon Airport base, the development company had worked closely with Ryanair to stimulate traffic on all their routes into Shannon and would do so for these additional air services.

He added that Shannon Development, would “shortly be launching a new tourism marketing campaign for the winter season which will incorporate these two new routes. We were delighted to have contributed to Shannon Airport’s record breaking year last year and will continue to work with other tourism agencies to stimulate further growth into the future”,

Last week, Ryanair announced the two new routes and additional flights from Dublin to London Gatwick and from Cork to Dublin.

The airline added a sixth daily frequency on its Dublin to Gatwick service and a fourth daily frequency on its Cork to Dublin service. These new routes and additional frequencies will start on October 31.

Making the announcement in Shannon, Ryanair’s Head of Communications Peter Sherrard said: “Ryanair’s Shannon base has performed strongly this summer and has firmly established itself as an important driver of both tourism and business in the West of Ireland.”

BOTH Shannon and Ennis Chambers of Commerce have welcomed the call from the Air Transport User’s Council (ATUC) of Chambers Ireland to fast track the Shannon Galway Link.

The group says the link is vital to enhance Shannon Airport’s opportunities for growth as the era of Open Skies dawns.

The ATUC has called on the Government to commit to completing the Shannon-Galway section of the Atlantic roadway by 2010 to secure Shannon’s future and connect the West to a host of European and North American destinations.

“This statement further re-enforces the plans put forward in the recent Tourism and Economic Development Plan prepared by the MidWest Regional Authority and also strengthens the recommendations made in the ‘Embracing the challenges and opportunities of Ireland – US Open Skies report prepared in consultation with IBEC Mid West and Shannon and Ennis Chambers’.

This unified approach must compound and give credence to the need for the completion of this vital road artery,” explained a spokesperson for both Ennis and Shannon Chambers.

The local chambers are now urging Transport Minister Martin Cullen to act on these recommendations, “to grow the catchment area for Shannon Airport by fast-tracking the road infrastructure”.

While a commitment to build the road was included in the Government’s Transport 21 programme, no timelines have been given for its construction. The chambers say that a deadline of 2010 will bring the road completion in line with the other inter-urban routes which are to be completed by that year under Transport 21.

FIANNA FÁIL Senator Brendan Daly is calling for the DPP to appeal last week’s decision by a jury to acquit five anti-war activists, who were charged with damaging a US plane at Shannon airport over three years ago.

In the wake of the jury’s decision, Senator Daly wrote to Attorney General Rory Brady, asking that the decision be appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeal.

He also requested that the statement made by one of the accused, who pledged to shut down Shannon Airport, be sent to the DPP for direction on possible charges to be brought.

Pointing out that he was surprised by the verdict, Senator Daly said it sent out a “message that people can do damage to property and walk away. To add insult to injury, they (the defendants) then said they plan to cause further disruption at the airport.”

Labour Deputy Jan O’Sullivan, who hails from Clare, said she believed the verdict was “fair.”

“I would never condone damage to property, but I would share their opposition to the use of Shannon for rendition flights and soldiers going to war,” she said.

She said she would “totally disagree” with any attempts by members of the group to realise their threat to close the airport.

“I would certainly encourage them not to use any kind of method that will damage the operation of Shannon. My view is people are entitled to peaceful protest, but not anything else,” she added.

Meanwhile, anti-war activist Mary Kelly welcomed last week’s acquittal of the five defendants.

Ms Kelly (54) was given a twoyear suspended sentence for damaging the same plane at the centre of last week’s trial, after she was found guilty by a jury in Clare, in 2004.

“It has taken over three years to get this verdict. The court ruled that the disarming of a US warplane was lawful. Ordinary citizens took appropriate actions and this has been upheld by the court,” she told The Clare People .

“I was convicted for damaging this warplane. I chose to have the trial heard in county Clare, hoping that a Clare jury would take the opportunity to speak against the use of their airport for transport of belligerent foreign troops,” she said.

Weapons of Mass Destruction and kidnapped victims. The people of Ireland have appealed, lobbied, written letters, protested and taken direct action against the illegal use of Shannon. The government has refused to listen,” she said.

THE Director of Shannon Airport has refused to comment on claims by members of The Catholic Worker Movement that they plan to close Shannon Airport.

Five members of the Movement were last week acquitted of damaging a US aeroplane to the tune of $US2.5million at the airport in February 2003.

One of the defendants, Australian native Ciaron O’Reilly said he would make every effort to close the airport, if the Irish Government continued to allow US military planes to refuel there.

Mr O’Reilly – who, along with US native Nuin Dunlop, Karen Fallon, from Scotland, and Irish born Deirdre Clancy and Damien Moran was found not guilty at Dublin Circuit Court – told The Clare People , “What we are planning to do is close the airport in a non-violent manner.

“There could be blockades. Firstly, we will carry out analysis on a national and international level and if the government does not take a stance, we will shut down the airport.”

He said the group will call a press conference in advance of any action being taken. Asked what the activists plan to do exactly, he said, “Some of it will be surprise. It is not decided yet.”

Asked would he contemplate using an implement such as a hatchet to disarm a plane in future, he replied, “I haven’t really thought about that. What we did three years ago was an act of conscience.”

He said the government had failed to take into account the views of the thousands of people who marched in opposition to the war, but a “jury of twelve ordinary people delivered a unanimous decision that there was nothing criminal in our actions.”

“If we don’t shut it (Shannon airport) down in a non-violent manner, some other group will,” added Mr O’Reilly.

He said he would encourage military veterans, Hollywood celebrities and members of various religious groups to get behind his efforts.

Shannon Airport Director Martin Moroney would not be drawn on Mr O’Reilly’s comments. He said, “It is my job to manage the airport and we are doing that.”

Meanwhile Chief Superintendent Liam Quinn said, “It’s a security issue. We have a security operation in Shannon. We review it on an ongoing basis.”

CLARE County Council’s Central Waste Management Facility in Inagh received up to 50 complaints relating to odour and other environmental concerns during the past two years.

In 2004, there were between 40 and 50 complaints about the Ballyduffbeg landfill relating to odour, noise and “miscellaneous” issues. This was the third highest number of complaints in the country relating to licensed waste facilities.

By 2005, the Clare waste facility was still recording between 40 and 50 complaints.

While complaints regarding noise had disappeared, odour remained a concern for those troubled by the site.

In a report entitled ‘Focus on Environmental Enforcement’, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that more than half of all waste complaints received in 2005 related to six facilities, one of which was the Clare Waste Management Facility in Inagh.

The EPA also recorded a significant increase in the number of complaints received with regard to waste facilities over the period.

In total, seven waste facilities appeared on the 2004 and 2005 tables indicating the persistent nature of some of the odour issues, according to the EPA.

Last December, the EPA ordered Clare County Council to address the odour of landfill gas at Ballyduffbeg under threat of further enforcement action.

The warning was given following an unannounced audit of the facility in October,

This stated that the general operation and management of the facility was good.

However, “the key issue to be resolved is the management of the odour emission from the facility.”

CLARE will have to fight back if it is to protect and increase its tourism industry.

That is according to the President of The Ennis Chamber of Commerce and hotelier John Madden who was responding to figures released this week, which show a marked decrease in the number of nights Irish people were spending their holidays in the mid west.

According to the Central Statistics Office, Irish visitors to the mid west spent 182,000 nights less in the region last year than in the whole of 2001.

While there was a two per cent increase in the number of domestic visitors to the region during the five-year period, it was a very small increase when compared to Dublin, which recorded a 25 per cent increase.

The average length of stay by domestic visitors to the mid west also decreased, with the average stay in 2001 calculated at 3.6 nights, at 3.8 nights in 2003 and falling to 3.3 nights in 2005.

During the first three months of this year, 423,000 Irish people visited the mid west, the majority of which, 198,000, were visiting relatives.

A further 50,000 people said they were in the region for business and 136,00 for a holiday break.

Irish people also spent significantly more money in Dublin than the mid west.

The total expenditure of the domestic traveller in Dublin increased by almost 55 per cent from €108.5 million in 2001 to 168.1 million in 2005.

The expenditure in the Mid West increased by a mere 14 per cent from €87.3 million in 2001 to €99.7 million in 2005.

The number of people travelling to international destinations for holidays from the mid west increased significantly over the five-year period, an increase of almost 50 per cent. Commenting on tourism in the county so far this year, Mr Madden said it was “not that bad” but there was “no huge growth”.

The hotelier explained that the American market was not as buoyant as other years and there was a marked decrease in the number of French and Italian visiting.

He equated the change in the Irish market with the opening up of new destinations particularly in Eastern Europe.

“I think we need to be more resourceful. We need to market more and get back more.”

He pointed to the success of the Scottish industry in encouraging back the golfing tourists it lost to Ireland and said the Irish market could not afford to stand still.