Tag Archives: clare county council

THE fact the local authority is prohibited from acquiring second hand houses means more and more properties will end up as holiday homes, a meeting of Clare County Council has heard.  Councillor Cillian Murphy put forward a motion asking that Clare County Council request that counties with large numbers of holiday homes be exempted from an embargo in place on acquiring houses. He said he knew of a case where a family had been reared in a local authority house. In recent times when the mother of the family had wanted to move away, she had gone to the Council first as she wanted another generation to have the option that her family had. However she was told that was not possible, as the the Council have been directed to focus on the construction of homes, and that there is a country wide embargo, with only 200 houses per annum to be purchased. Councillor Murphy said that in west Clare …

COMMUNITIES across North Clare have until March 24 to stake their claim for a chance to host the now famous statue of the mythical Púca.  Last month, a majority of residents of Ennistymon rejected the planned sculpture, following a long-running controversy over the nature of the design as well as the public consultation process. After the Council confirmed the change of plan, applications are now being accepted from other areas interested in giving a home to the two-metre high bronze artwork.  The local authority this Thursday publicised a list of criteria that communities will need to meet in order to be considered as the new home of the Púca. For the moment, applications will only be considered from the North Clare Electoral Area and details of the exact location as well as written consent from the landowner must be provided. In addition, applicants must show “demonstrable community buy-in” through meetings and surveys. They must also prove they can create a …

THE medieval town of Ennis is known for its narrow streets and labyrinth of historic laneways and bow-ways. It’s also famous for being a tricky town to navigate, where motorists are challenged when it comes to finding available parking, especially visitors unfamiliar with the town layout. However, parking is about to become a whole lot simpler in Ennis with the deployment of a new Smart Parking initiative by Cisco and Dublin-based software development company Danalto. The proposed solution will see Cisco’s software partner Danalto deploy Bosch parking sensors, Cisco ISR routers, Cisco LoRaWAN gateways, and Cisco Cameras throughout parking areas in Ennis town centre, including surface car parks controlled by Clare County Council private car parks, and some on street parking bays. The use of parking cameras and sensors in conjunction with a cloud analytics platform to analyse parking space availability, will allow the public to access real-time information on parking availability. The project will also facilitate the introduction of dynamic …

AN application has been made to government by University of Limerick and Clare County Council to have lands adjoining the north campus of the University designated an Economic Strategic Development Zone. It is envisaged that the site will have a range of education, research, living, working, and recreational spaces integrated within the University campus environment and could generate up to 3,500 jobs in the construction phase. Economic forecasts have suggested that the site could generate a gross added value of €1.795 billion annually to the Irish economy. President of UL Professor Kerstin Mey and Chief Executive of Clare County Council Pat Dowling have formally written to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien, TD to seek the designation. The application submitted to government to expand and designate lands on the north campus of the University as a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) has been made through the UL and Clare Economic Development Agency Designated Activity Company (DAC). The …

CRUSHEEN GAA has secured planning permission for a new astroturf facility, along with improvements to the accessibility of its grounds, writes Owen Ryan. The club is currently raffling a Skoda Fabia acquired from Al Hayes Motors to help with the cost of what will be the most significant expansion of its facilities in over 30 years. Michael O’Connor, whose five-year term as chairman of the club has just concluded, said that with Crusheen’s population expanding, it is important that the club keeps progressing. “Crusheen in the last number of years has spiralled in size, there’s nearly 300 houses in the village and more to come. “Also, on every side road you travel, there have been more and more one-off houses built over the last 10 or 12 years. It’s great for the community and so many people are joining the club every year, it’s nearly difficult to keep track.  “Two years ago we had to decide would we stay as …

THERE has been a welcome in East Clare for a period of additional consultation on a multimillion Euro windfarm proposed for the slopes of Slieve Bearnagh, writes Fiona McGarry. Controversy surrounded the initiation public consultation phase for the Carrownagowan Windfarm, which was submitted as Strategic Infrastructure in November 2020, because public health restrictions prohibited gatherings and meetings during the window for submissions. Over the course of last year, An Bord Pleanála sought Further Information on the 19-turbine proposal from developers, Coillte. The board has now judged the material received to be ‘significant’, meaning that it must go on public display, with an opportunity for members of the public to make submissions on it until 5.30pm on March 14. “The information received by An Bord Pleanála was deemed to be significant so it’s now very important that people review this material and make themselves aware of what is involved,” said Councillor Pat Hayes. “The period for submissions on the new information …

COUNTY planners have given March 24 as an indicative decision date for a major new housing development in the offing for a Clare village, writes Fiona McGarry. A proposal to build 41 homes on a large site at Quin Gardens in the heart of Quin village is being considered currently by the local authority. The application from Datcha Construction is seeking permission for 13 detached, 10 semi-detached and 18 terraced houses on a site of just under two hectares. Five of the homes will be two-bed units, 32 will be three-bed and the remaining four homes will be four-bed. The largest of the proposed homes will be just over 158 square metres, while the smallest units will be just over 109 square metres. A total of 95 car parking spaces are proposed and provision has been made for charging points for Electric Vehicles (EVs). Drawings and site plans show that the proposed homes are arranged in four clusters, with a …

PROPOSALS for the development of a gated community for older people in the centre of Ennis have been refused planning permission by the local authority, despite the plans being scaled back by developers. The plans for the development on Upper O’Connell Street would “adversely affect the amenities and character” of the Architectural Conservation Area in Ennis town, the council determined in turning down the application. A planning application lodged by Alan Cummins Ltd had originally sought to construct a two-storey building incorporating six one-bedroom apartments, and a single storey building incorporating six storage sheds to be used in conjunction with the apartments. These plans were later reduced to a proposed one-storey building with three one-bed apartments after concerns were raised by Clare County Council. The changes were not enough however to convince the planning authority to grant planning permission for the units, with council planners refusing planning permission. The site of the proposed development is located within the ACA and …