Tag Archives: Gerry Flynn

THE offering at Shannon Town Centre is “second rate” this week’s meeting of local councillors heard. Councillor Gerry Flynn made the claim about the Town Centre, while he also criticised County Council planners for prioritising the Town Centre by refusing planning permission for an Aldi store across the road from it. Councillor Flynn criticised the decision to develop a new public facility at a site in the Town Centre, which the Council is set to lease rather than buy from the Shannon Airport Group. This week saw Clare County Council sign contracts for the design of the One Shannon Hub, which is set to combine a town hall, an adaptable performance and community space, library, and flexible co-working spaces at an unused site in the Town Centre. The land is set to be taken on a 999 year lease by the Council, and will feature public realm improvements to the Town Square. While progress was being presented as a positive …

EFFORTS to speed up the turnaround of Council properties once they become vacant have been called for by the Chairperson of the authority’s housing committee. Councillor Gerry Flynn called for a comprehensive survey of all residential property owned and rented by the Council, with a focus on older developments. He told the January meeting of the local authority that this approach would reduce the need for major renovations when the tenancies are surrendered back to the Council for future letting. Addressing the meeting, the Shannon member said the Council is moving to a Planned Maintenance Programme for its 2,700 properties. He noted that the Council had an approved loan of €10 million for maintenance, of which just €3 million has been drawn down to-date. “It was always expected that there would be a surge after Covid-19 in relation to maintenance, I would expect further drawdown of this loan,” he said. “I think it’s important we take a more proactive approach …

PLANS to house refugees in an industrial building in Shannon have been criticised by local elected representatives. Last week the Office of Public Works (OPW) said it had made Unit 153 at Shannon Business Park (a large building close to where Molex had been located) available to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and that it is being adapted for emergency accommodation. In a statement to the Clare Champion the Department acknowledged it is working with the OPW “to develop proposals/design to use a state-owned property in Shannon Free Zone to accommodate International Protection Applicants.” However, it contradicted the OPW’s claim that it is currently being adapted for the use of refugees, saying that engagement between the two bodies is ongoing and contracts have yet to be agreed or signed. Unit 153 is a large building that is not currently in use. Speaking to The Champion on Tuesday, Clare TD Cathal Crowe said he doesn’t believe that …

A NEW centre for housing refugees is to be opened in Shannon, despite local elected representatives and residents having been left uninformed about the matter. The OPW confirmed to the Clare Champion that it had made Unit 153 in Shannon Business Park available to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and that it is currently being adapted for emergency accommodation. Prior to Christmas, in a briefing document, Maurice Buckley, chairman of the Office of Public Works said that the OPW “has made a large property in Shannon available to the DCEDIY (Department of Children, Equality, Disability Integration and Youth) which is currently being adapted for emergency accommodation.” After coming upon this the Clare Champion contacted the DCEDIY, but it made no comment. The OPW was also contacted and confirmed that Unit 153 had been handed over. The Clare Champion spoke to Deputy Cathal Crowe on Wednesday afternoon and at that stage he was unaware that a building …

WITH a major shortage of housing in the town, Councillor Gerry Flynn queried what is holding up the delivery of an affordable housing scheme for the town, at Tuesday’s meeting of Shannon Municipal District meeting. It has recently emerged that Ennis and Shannon are not ineligible for affordable housing schemes, although rural parts of the county are. At this week’s meeting Councillor Flynn put forward a motion asking that the Council “urgently submit an application for funding to the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien for the development of a scheme of affordable housing in Shannon to support the lower to middle income earners that want to purchase their own homes locally”. A written response to the motion was put before the meeting, for the Council’s Director of Service Anne Haugh, which said that the local authority needs advice from the Department on what to do. “Clare County Council initiated engagement with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in …

THE commercial rates bills faced by Clare businesses could increase by 2.5% next year. Commercial rates increased by 3.8% in 2022 and it was anticipated that there would be no further increase in 2023. However the level of inflation seen this year was not forecast, and county councillors have been warned that if a 2.5% increase is not agreed their General Municipal Allocations (GMA) will have to be cut. Further discussions between elected representatives and the executive are set to take place ahead of November 25, when the Council is due to agree a budget. The Shannon Muncipal District’s draft budget meeting took place this week, and afterwards Independent Gerry Flynn said that giving indicative figures in advance of an overall budget being passed is pointless. “Really and truly it was a non event. Having these meetings before the budget is approved is ridiculous. “The granting of the GMA budget is connected to the buoyancy of the main budget, if …

CLARE County Council is to seek funding for affordable housing in the urban areas of the county, the October meeting of the local authority heard. Independent Gerry Flynn put forward a motion asking that the Council make an approach on the matter to housing minister Darragh O’Brien. In a written response to his motion, Director of Social Development Ann Haugh stated, “As advised by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, proposals located within the CSO settlement boundaries of the five cities (Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Waterford) are eligible for Affordable Housing Fund funding. “However, proposals located outside the five cities must be located within local authority areas with a minimum average 5% Housing Need Demand Assessment (HNDA) Affordability Constraint for new housing demand over the period 2021 to 2026 calculated for the entire local authority area. “The HDNA assessment of the Clare local authority area has not demonstrated this required affordability constraint and therefore does not meet …

RESIDENTS of a Shannon neighbourhood are crying ‘foul’ at being kept awake at night by ‘talking’ signs urging dog owners to clean up after their pets. A meeting of the Shannon Municipal District heard that there are “sleepless nights in Drumgeely” with residents disturbed by the signs which were installed to help prevent dog litter on the streets. The signs play pre-recorded messages reminding dog walkers to obey the law when it comes to dog litter, however according to Councillor Gerry Flynn the message is being heard late into the night in the homes of residents. He told the meeting that he has been contacted by people living in the area about the issue saying, “This is a very settled community with older people living there, people can’t sleep at night.” He continued, “It’s a disgrace these signs have been put in an inappropriate place next to the pioneers that made Shannon.” Tom Mellett, senior executive engineer stated that the …