The Clare People Archive

A KILRUSH town councillor has questioned central governments pri- orities when it comes to providing essential services to the people of west Clare.

Cllr Marian McMahon Jones (FG) said that by law the people of Kil- rush are entitled to a public lavatory, but a laboratory for the nearest acute hospital does not seem to be a neces- sity.

The Kilrush town councillor also questioned why a busy Accident and Emergency service and a mammog- raphy unit was not considered a ne-

cessity, when an under utilised public toilet was an essential requirement.

“You are entitled to a lavatory but not a laboratory,” she said.

Cllr McMahon Jones was compar- ing the stark realities of government policies that threatens 24-hour Ac- cident and Emergency Care at Ennis General Hospital and the closure of the busy laboratory at the hospital.

“You are not entitled to breast screening in Ennis because the government could not be bothered spending money on it,” she said.

In contrast a public toilet must be provided in Kilrush town, at a cost of €34,000, according to Cllr McMa-

hon Jones.

This public amenity is underused and brings in just €2,000 to the council coffers every year.

This is €32,000 of taxpayers mon- ey going down the toilet according to the annoyed councillor.

It is compulsory for the super loo to be provided by local authorities, whether or not it is covering its own cost when people spend a penny.

“We are entitled to a public toilet, paid for by the tax payers, but we are not entitled to a mammography unit paid for by the people of Clare, an A&E, a laboratory, or even a basic hospital,” she said.

“You will not have a hospital in 20 months time, but don’t worry you will have a toilet – at great expense to the taxpayer,” she warned.

Cllr McMahon Jones has been sup- ported by her council colleagues in her call for Minister for Health Mary Harney and CEO of the HSE Professor Brendan Drumm to be in- formed of the councils concerns at the withdrawal of breast screening services and laboratory facilities at Ennis General Hospital. A second letter, proposed by Cllr Deirdre Cul- ligan (Ind) is asking for clarification from Proff Drumm as to the future of A&E at the county hospital.

THE west Clare capital has seen much prosperity and development according to the Tidy Town judges.

So impressed were the judges with Kilrush they gave the Heritage town 49 marks out of 50 for its overall de- velopment.

The majority of the infrastructural improvements were in keeping with the original landscape according to the judges, but such development had come at a small price.

While Kilrush secured almost maximum marks in all categories to secure a gold medal in the hotly contested tidy towns competition, tidiness remained an issue receiving just six marks out of 30.

“There is still a major amount of construction work going on in Kil- rush and in the environs. This leads to messy site areas and developers

should be encouraged to keep these areas as tidy as possible,’ said the adductors, who were also aware of the hard work of the local people in keeping their area tidy.

“Outside of the above there is goodwill on the part of the local community to contribute to keeping areas immediate to their properties in good condition and free from Itt- ter and weed growth.”

The judges were full of praise for the hard working tidy towns com- mittee especially in its efforts to mobilise people to contribute to the aeue

They paid tribute to the built envi- ronment of the town with its many attractive shop fronts and well pre- sented public buildings.

The standard of the landscape was described as excellent.

“The visual effect of colourful hanging baskets, window boxes, nu-

merous potted planting and roadside planting was exceptional,’ the judges said, who agreed that the planting undertaken throughout the town if of benefit to the wildlife of the area.

“The interesting Cappa Pier area and the Millennium Bridge Amenity are all suitable for wildlife conserva- tion. The Heritage Council will help you to identify wildlife pockets in the area,’ the judges told the Kilrush Loyeabasnianeron

The town of Kilrush has its litter under control according to the judges – “a testament to the great work of the committee 1n advancing the mes- sage of good litter control”.

Kilrush received an amazing 19 out of 20 marks under the “waste minimisation” category, loosing a mark for the “poor condition” of the recycling centre on the Plouzane Car Ane

“Evidence of bottles, boxes, rub-

bish bags were left by the recycling centre. This situation needs to be ad- dressed,’ said the judges.

Private residental areas were sin- gled out for praise, as were the roads, streets and back areas and all en- trances to the town.

“Kilrush has made great strides in the National Tidy Towns Com- petition to date. Despite its major transformation over the last number of years it retains its rural/maritime character. We look forward to even further progress in the competition,” said the judges.

CLARE County Council is to circu- late a questionnaire to every house in Ballyvaughan over the com- ing weeks, asking the local people for their opinions on how the town should be developed in the future.

That was one of the major decisions arising from a public meeting hosted by the local authority at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan last Veto

The meeting, which was chaired by

Risteard Ua Croinin, conservation officer for Clare County Council, was an introductory public meeting hosted in preparation for the creation of a Village Design Statement for Ballyvaughan.

“It was a very positive meeting. There was a great turnout and we heard a lot of relevant concerns from the Ballyvaughan people, mostly about the local infrastructure. Eve- rything that was said was very posi- tive,’ said Ua Croinin.

“One of the major issues raised was

about water and the quality of water in Ballyvaughan. They were prob- ably the most controversial areas. There were also worries raised about the capacity of the sewerage system in Ballyvaughan and the density of future developments.” Ballyvaughan, along with Carriga- holt in west Clare, has been selected by Clare County Council’s Planning Policy Unit as an ideal candidate for this initiative due to its size and loca- tion. The project will be undertaken by officials of the Planning Policy

Unit in line with a series of public consultation workshops and meet- ings with local interested individu- als and groups. The unit will also be seeking the input of local public representatives at these meetings and workshops.

“The opinions of the local people will have a huge impact on how this policy is formed. This is a plan that will be developed by the local people and treated by the council as a Local Area Plan,” continued Ua Croinin.

“We didn’t get to address all the is-

sues on the table so there will be an- other meeting in the coming weeks. It was decided to circulate a ques- tionnaire to all the local people and we decided exactly what questions to ask at the meeting. The question- naire should be circulated locally in the coming weeks.”

Clare County Council hopes to ad- dress a number of issues during the drafting of the Ballyvaughan Village Design Statement, including the pro- tection and conservation of impor- tant buildings.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of Shannon Airport, ten per cent of Munster employers ex- pect to recruit more workers by the end of the year, according to the lat- est Manpower Ireland survey.

This is the most optimistic figure of all regions nationwide and shows a three per cent increase 1n quarter- over-quarter results. In year-over- year comparisons, Munster also saw a four per cent increase and was the only region which reported an 1m- provement in year-over-year com- parisons.

Nationally only 12 per cent of Irish employers say they expect to hire

more people during the fourth quar- ter of 2007. These results are down a disappointing eight per cent on the corresponding quarter for last year and down three per cent on the Q3 results for 2007. The survey also shows that seven per cent of Irish em- ployers expect to reduce their work- force while 81 per cent anticipate no change over the coming quarter.

Conducted quarterly, the Man- power Employment Outlook Survey measures employers’ intentions to increase or decrease their work- forces over the forthcoming quarter. Ireland’s Net Employment Outlook for the final quarter of the year is just five per cent, down six percentage points from Q3 2007.

NEWS of massive investment in wa- ter and sewerage schemes in Clare is ‘bad news dressed up as good”, as there will be a massive shortfall in funding which the council will have to meet, it was claimed last night.

At a meeting of Clare County Council, Cllr Martin Lafferty (Ind), asked for clarification on how much the council was expected to contrib- ute to anumber of important schemes which have been granted funding in the county.

He was told that the shortfall would be in the order of €23 million.

‘This is bad news dressed up as good. The Government is not bring- ing in a proper financial basis for local authorities. They are making councils collect up the money for these schemes themselves,” he said.

Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) called for the council to “write to the minister to point out what an intolerable bur- den this puts on this local authority”.

Cllr Madeleine Taylor-Quinn(FG) said that on average, Clare County Council was being asked “to pay 60

per cent of the cost of these schemes. Where are we going to find that?”

Mayor of Clare, Patricia McCarthy (Ind) said that the council was facing a “very serious issue in going from a situation where Government fund- ing was 100 per cent to a place where we re being asked to pay nearly fifty nea Ae

In the case of one scheme, we are being asked for more than 90 per cent of the cost. We can’t expect peo- ple on the ground to pay for this.”

Green Party councillor, Brian Meaney described the announce- ment as “disappointing”.

He said he had spoken with Min- ister John Gormley twice and “out- lined the feelings of the council on DONIC OOF IA Kosa

He added that when he spoke to the minister last Thursday, he “assured me that he is going to reappraise the situation with allocations he will make next year and I will be follow- ing through with him on that”.

Councillors agreed they would write to the minister to express their concern about the effect the alloca- tions will have on council finances.

PLANNERS have been accused of “flying in the face of their own poli- cy” in relation to the granting of per- mission to mobile phone operators to erect masts.

Councillor Cathal Crowe (FF) said at a meeting of Clare County Coun- cil last night that he could not under- stand the mechanisms behind many of the permissions granted.

Referring to a presentation made to the council the previous week by an official of O2, the councillor said that

he was told “that there is a four mile radius coverage from these masts.”

Yet in many places, the masts are going up in clusters. In Meelick there are up to five in a one-mile area.”

Cllr Crowe said the frequency with which masts are given planning per- mission “flies in the face of the coun- cil’s policy on co-location”.

The councillor said it was “impos- sible to understand some of the per- missions given.

“In the case of Coolderry, a 70 ft mast is not considered to be visually obtrusive yet and ordinary dwelling

house in the same location is refused permission on grounds of being visu- PO RYAcO)0 10 UU Aone

Seconding the motion, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) said there “has to be consistency here, particularly con- cerning these masts being visually obtrusive.

“It opens another issue entirely. More often than not an Bord Plean- nala overturns our inspector’s re- ports and this is something we have no input into.”

Officials told the meeting that each planning application is “dealt with

on it’s own merits, having regard to the site and the application”.

Cllr Crowe said he wanted “‘a justi- fication on how a a 6/0 foot mast is considered appropriate when a nor- mal dwelling isn’t. We need to start refusing some of these applications if we have any care at all for the people of this county.”

In a separate discussion on plan- ning matters, Cllr PJ Kelly (FF) told the meeting that people who were born and have lived all their lives in the county are having difficulty with permission because they cannot

prove they have been resident here for ten years.

“If someone is applying to build for the first time and they are living with their parents, how can they prove they satisfy the local rural person rule if they have no utility bills in their name because their parents pay the bills?” the councillor asked.

He also challenged the practice of insisting that people prove they have lived in Clare for the last ten years.

“If someone is a guest of the nation in Mountjoy for 18 months then they lost their status,” he said.

IN A BLOW to the Clare County Board’s plans to move out of Cusack Park to a purpose-built 42 ,000-seater Stadium, councillors from the Ennis area have decided not to rezone the existing ground for mixed-use devel- opment.

The rezoning of the park for com- mercial and residential uses is vital for the move to go through.

It is understood that one of the country’s most successful builders, Lisdoonvarna man Bernard McNa- mara of Michael McNamara and Company, and local developers, Sean Lyne and Noel Connellan, are the

GAA’s preferred bidders to exchange Cusack Park for the new stadium on the Quin Road in Ennis.

However, their €30 million pro- posal involves constructing a shop- ping centre on the site of Cusack Park which would require its rezon- ing into commercial use.

In January of last year, when the consortium announced its plans, a spokesman pointed out, “Planning permission for the construction of the new stadium in the Quin Road area and a shopping centre at the ex- isting Cusack Park is required before the proposal can be implemented.”

However, Cllr Frankie Neylon confirmed yesterday that council-

lors from the Ennis area were of the view that Cusack Park should not be rezoned. The item came up for dis- cussion through the review of sub- missions for the Ennis and Environs Development Plan.

The County Board did not make a Submission. Instead, the discussion arose from a submission from Paul O’Sullivan of Maddens_ Terrace, Clarecastle.

In his submission, Mr O’Sullivan said that Cusack Park should be re- tained as a people’s park.

Cllr Neylon, who has been a vocal opponent of the County Board plant to sell off the site to developers, said that the decision by councillors not

to rezone the park was unanimous.

He said, “It was made very clear at the meeting by the elected members that the park should stay as 1s.”

Cllr Neylon added, “I am still of the view that Cusack Park 1s part-owned by the people of Ennis.”

It is understood that the issue was discussed over two meetings as coun- cillors were anxious that their in- structions to planning officials ruled out the possibility of commercial use of the property.

It will still be open to the GAA to make a submission on the future use of the park when the draft Ennis and Environs Development Plan is pub- lished shortly.

FUNDING of more than €2.3 mil- lion has been announced for Clare water and sewerage schemes by En- vironment, Heritage and Local Gov- ernment Minister, John Gormley.

The allocations are part of a €5.8 billion spending plan on new water supply and waste water infrastruc- ture. The Water Services Investment Programme includes 955 individual schemes to be advanced over the period of the National Development Plan and beyond.

The programme sets out specific targets for construction up to the end of 2009 and is coupled with a series of other measures, including

a special package to target supplies at risk from cryptosporidium and e.coli, new measures aimed at 1m- proving water conservation, new en- forcement powers to prosecute those who fail to protect water resources or cause water pollution and plans for enhanced protection of rivers, lakes ANNO Men AUT-V Loh

Among the sewerage schemes which are getting funding to start in 2008 are Ballyvaughan, Corofin and Doolin, Carrigaholt/Labasheeda, Cooraclare, Ennistymon, Liscannor, Miltown Malbay and Spanish Point, Kilkee and Kilrush, O’Callaghan’s Mills, Bodyke, O’Brien’s Bridge, Flagmount and Cratloe, Quilty, Scar- iff and Feakle, and Shannon Town.

Money has also been allocated to start the west Clare regional water supply scheme.

Ennis town water supply also has funding for 2007, along with the sup- ply schemes for Lisdoonvarna and Newmarket-on-Fergus.

Funding has been put up for water and sewerage schemes to advance through planning in Castlelake, Kil- fenora, Killaloe, north Clare and south east Clare.

Down for funding to start in 2009 is a sewerage scheme for Ennis/Clare- castle. There is €2 million in the pot for water conservation schemes in the county.

In all, there will be €236,149 in- vested in various schemes and initia-

tives in Clare.

“Ensuring there 1s clean water, not only in our taps but also in our rivers, lakes and estuaries is a priority for me in Government,’ Minister Gorm- ley said.

“Water 1s possibly our most pre- cious resource. Its protection is an essential element in ensuring a sus- tainable Ireland,” he added.

The Minister said that it is “our aim to bring about a situation whereby all of our public drinking water supplies comply with European standards and that all of our lakes and rivers are of good water quality.

“This is a considerable challenge, one which I believe can, and must, be achieved.”

MINISTER of State Tony Killeen has received confirmation that ten- ders are being sought for improve- ments works to be carried out at two Clare Garda stations.

Minister Killeen said that the OPW is to carry out work at Newmarket- on-Fergus and Doonbeg Garda Sta- tions.

The works at Newmarket-on-Fer- cus will include the replacement of windows and doors to the station and residential quarters, demolition of the existing front and rear boundary walls, construction of new perimeter front and rear boundary walls, re- alignment of existing vehicular en-

trances and provision of new vehicu- lar access gates. The proposed works also include the provision of visitor parking to the front of the building and private parking to the rear.”

The work at Doonbeg includes the replacement of the existing windows and doors to the Garda station and residential quarters.

Other works include the demolition of the existing and construction of a new front boundary wall and rear vam eNO e

The OPW has confirmed that draw- ings and particulars of the proposed developments are available for in- spection at their Limerick-based of- fice and at the two Garda Stations fey sere waleree

THE most prominent community- based organisation in Doonbeg has expressed its opposition to plans to develop 77 homes in the west Clare AUF: Teen

In recent years, the village has en- joyed a property boom arising from the €150 million Doonbeg golf re- sort.

In its submission in relation to the plan by Brian McGoey and Niall Cunningham, the Doonbeg Com-

munity Development Company Ltd state that “the proposed development by virtue of its scale and density and the proposed neighbourhood concept does not “respect the existing char- acter of the surrounding area” and that as a consequence it “harms the amenity of adjoining properties and the surrounding area”.

The submission goes on, “The ad- ditional vehicular traffic generated by the proposal will have an adverse effect on the amenity and character of the surrounding area. You simply

cannot lift an urban design model and implant it on to a rural village especially at such a sensitive river- bank location.

‘To create a new, competing neigh- bourhood within the context of Doonbeg village conflicts with the sustainable development of the vil- lage and, we contend, with the set- tlement strategy of the Clare County Development plan 2005.

‘These houses will dominate the skyline and approach from the south along this route. We also suggest that

they may impact on, by overlooking, the streetscape of the village when approached from the west. Doonbeg Community Development Company Ltd is concerned about the scale and density of development proposed for this elevated site located in such close proximity to the riverbank. ‘“Doonbeg Community Develop- ment Company Ltd is also concerned about the construction of a compet- ing neighbourhood core. It is our contention that there are sufficient lands either zoned or currently de-

veloped for “holiday homes” within Doonbeg village.

“If permission is granted for any residential development at this loca- tion, it should be for permanent oc- cupation only. Doonbeg Community Development Ltd is not opposed to development within the settlement of Doonbeg…What is proposed for this location is an urban or suburban resi- dential development with a density of development more suited to that type of location and not the elevated river bank location here.”