The Clare People Archive

THE Irish Refugee Council (IRC) this week stated that asylum seekers cannot avail of local housing, and sounded a warning over the use of language on the issue.

Last week, Ennis’s Town Mayor, Frankie Neylon said that “there is no way in the world” that council housing should be provided pro rata to the town’s asylum seeker population.

Cllr Neylon (Ind) made his comment in response to figures showing that 40 per cent of the applicants on the council’s housing list are asylum seekers and refugees.

The council has since clarified that the number (282) referred to “foreign nationals” – this would include a sizeable proportion of refugees.

A spokeswoman said: “Nine foreign national families have been appointed to houses in the new council’s housing estate in Roslevan and four were appointed in 2005.

“All of the 282 qualified for housing. However, subsequent allocation of a house to a tenant depends on the level of need and availability of appropriate suitable accommodation. Policy on access to housing accommodation in relation to foreign nationals is determined at national level.

“The council does not determine such policy in this regard.”

The figures show that the numbers of foreign nationals on the housing list has increased by 90% in the past three years. In 2003, there were 148 foreign nationals on the 590-strong list.

Orla Ni Eili of the Irish Refugee Council commented, “Asylum seekers do not have the right to council housing. The foreign nationals on the council’s housing list would include people from Europe and the US.

“The Refugee Council is currently seeking clarification from the county council as to what stage someone on the list becomes an Irish citizen.

“Is it when someone gains an Irish passport? It is important that we find this out.”

Ms Ni Eili said that a number of refugees have availed of the council’s Shared Ownership Scheme.

“It is the experience of the Irish Refugee Council (IRC) that when refugees are on the housing list, it is a time for them when they are rebuilding their work and educational lives and wouldn’t be in high economic circumstances,” she said.

“When talking about these issues, it is important that we are very clear on the language we use.

“This is not about being politically correct, but there is a need to be accurate when we are talking about many different groupings of people.”

Separate figures provided by the council show that houses are not being allocated to foreign nationals on a proportional basis.

Last year, the council allocated just four homes to non-nationals out of a total of 46.

CLARE County Council is to proceed with plans to develop a further four permanent Traveller halting sites in Ennis and Liscannor this year. The sites will accommodate 20 families and the estimated cost is €6 million.

Last week the council announced that, after almost a decade, all Clare Travellers have been accommodated and there are no longer any Travellers living without water or sanitation on the roadside.

However, arising from new Traveller family formations and the need to accommodate those living in temporary emergency accommodation, the council has identified an accommodation need for 88 families, with 64 in immediate need.

According to an update provided to members of the Special Policy Committee (SPC), the council has identified sites at the Tulla Rd, Kilrush Rd and Ashline in Ennis and Laghcloon, Liscannor.

The update states, “Every effort will be made in 2006 to progress the construction of the permanent traveller accommodation sites as identified in the programme as a matter of urgency.”

Last year, the new Traveller Accommodation Programme was thrown into disarray after the council withdrew its Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for its original site earmarked for the Kilrush Rd.

County manager, Alec Fleming made the rare move after councillors voiced their opposition to the CPO on the lands at Kilmorane on the outskirts of Ennis. In pursuing the CPO, the council had placed in jeopardy two €250,000 homes currently being built for two elderly settled couples on the site.

Outlining the progress on the plan, the council’s acting director for housing, Josephine Cotter-Coughlan said, “In recent weeks, five Traveller families have been allocated standard local authority housing by Ennis Town Council and they will be taking up accommodation in the coming weeks.

“One further family has accepted accommodation from a voluntary body in the Ennis area and will also be taking up residency in the coming weeks. Clare County Council are currently advancing plans for a number of Group Housing Schemes in the Ennis and Ennistymon areas.

“Sites have been identified and discussions are taking place with the landowners involved. Permanent accommodation must be provided for the families living in the temporary emergency sites.

“There are also a number of families living in private rented or sharing with family members that must be accommodated in the current programme.

“There will also be new families formed in the coming years and their accommodation needs must be met,” she said.

THE University of Limerick president, who extended the growing centre of education into Clare, has retired on health grounds. Professor Roger GH Downer decided to stand down as president and vice-chancellor last week following an 18-month battle with serious illness.

Under the forward-thinking professor’s leadership the university acquired 125 acres of land in Co Clare to allow expansion of the campus across the River Shannon. Building projects include the magnificent University Arena, MSSI Building, Millstream research complex, a bridge across the Shannon and three student villages. Prof Downer has also been credited with establishing the Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning, which has introduced major initiatives in teaching, and learning.

During his presidency undergraduate student numbers increased substantially and he initiated the development of new programmes in various fields. He has also led the campaign to bring a graduate medical school to UL. In particular he focused on creating a researchintensive institution and achieved substantial increases in research income, research output, post-graduate student numbers, patent applications and spin-off companies.

Professor Downer nurtured relationships with local communities and was a champion of access programmes in socially disadvantaged areas of Limerick, established the access campus in Southill and arranged the building of the first crèche on a university campus in Ireland. Although he will stand down as president the professor will continue to undertake academic and related activities on behalf of the university until August, 2008, the date on which his tenure as President would have ended.

A north Clare legal firm has secured planning permission for contentious plans to construct a first floor extension to its property.

The extension, at Chambers & Co., is a replacement for one that the company built without authorisation. They were subsequently refused permission to retain the structure and accepted they must demolish it.

Plans to replace the illegal structure with a smaller extension met with opposition from neighbours, Sean and Carmel Conway, who claimed the extension would have a detrimental effect on them.

But, granting permission, the council stated that the development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area, or of the properties in the vicinity and would be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The council stated that by replacing the existing first floor extension with an ‘A’ shaped gable extension, the light to the Conway’s property would not be significantly affected.

CLARE Animal Welfare are urging tighter controls on animal traceability in light of the appalling cruelty suffered by an abandoned horse.

The organisation wants domestic animals to be microchipped to make it more difficult for animals to be stolen or abandoned.

The horse, which has been named Eana, is now recovering on a refuge owned by Clare Animal Welfare who have set up the ‘Eana Recovery Appeal’ to encourage people to sponsor a bag of food for Eana.

Current regulations which require all thoroughbreds and animals registered with the Irish Horse Board to be microchipped aren’t widely enforced.

The process of microchipping involves inserting a small microchip under the skin of the animal which can be scanned to determine who the animal is registered to.

Kate Browne says the case of Eana and the gory details of another cruelty case make microchipping essential.

“We have received 11 distress calls about horses since the New Year and, while this horse is in a particularly bad state, the important thing is to ensure that all animals are traceable. We need to see microchipping enforced. There was a case in Kildare last week where greyhounds had their ears chopped off to remove their markings. This is happening all the time.”

She added, “People aren’t scanning animals when they are being sold. Marts and horse fairs should insist that any animal for sale is scanned.”

The full thoroughbred mare had been abandoned in a wooded area near Lough Ea by its careless owner and had been sighted on several occasions by locals before again being spotted by a woman walking in the area over the Easter weekend.

After an exhaustive search, the severely emaciated animal was recovered by Kate Browne.

Such is the extent of the horse’s injuries that it will take up to two years for it to fully recover.

Kate said the animal is making good progress but is in a very distressed state.

”She’s just skin and bone. I’ve taken clumps of mudrash off her and her hair is falling out. She had dislocated her hip. But we have high hopes. She is taking pro-biotics and is eating a low-protein diet.”

A SECURITY company director who was handed a three-month jail sentence for assaulting a man has won his appeal against conviction.

At Ennis District Court last September, Kevin Cooper (43), of Loughville, Ennis, was convicted of assaulting Michael Singleton, at The Square, Ennis, on October 23, 2004.

The jail sentence was put on hold, pending the appeal and he won this appeal at Ennis Circuit Court last week.

Mr Cooper — whose company, Avalon Security Ltd, trading as Security Services, Ennis, provides security for various pubs, nightclubs and hotels in Ennis — said he is delighted he won the appeal and says he has gone through “hell” as a result of the court case.

“My whole life has been upside down for 16 months. Everything, my work, has been held up because of this case. I have lost a lot of work because of this,” he said.

He said the closure of a number of pubs in Ennis, coupled with the conviction in court, has caused him immense hardship.

“I have lost 50 per cent of my work. I am going to try and get back some of the work I have lost,” he said.

“I am struggling now to get back business. It came to a point where I thought I would have to close down, because of the court case. It looked like I was going to be gone,” he said.

He said at one stage he had employed up to 40 people, but has let seven people go.

It emerged, in the wake of the District Court case last year, that Ennis Town Council paid Mr Cooper’s security company €100,000, for security-related activities over a five-year period.

At the time, Ennis Mayor, Councillor Frankie Neylon said that council officials and elected representatives would discuss the arrangement entered into with Mr Cooper’s company if his appeal against conviction failed.

He said if the conviction was upheld, it would create difficulties between Mr Cooper’s company and the council, but added he was entitled to due process.

Speaking yesterday, Cllr Neylon said, “The council will be taking a fresh look at it now.”

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.

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 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.”

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”.