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Regional

‘Crazy and vexatious’ situation stymies rural home building

CONTROVERSY around the issue of so-called ‘in-fill sites’ has led to an application by a young couple for a house in Kilkishen being rejected, twice over.  The application to build a one-off house at Teeronea was turned down by county planners last year. Following an inspection of the site, and consideration of national and local guidelines, An Bord Pleanála has now copperfastened that decision.  Both the Council and the appeals board found that the creation of an in-fill, or what the local authority described as “gap sites”, would be contrary to the County Development Plan 2017-2023.  An Bord Pleanála also stated that the couple had failed to satisfy the requirement to prove a local housing need. That was despite the fact that one of the applicants attended national school in Kilkishen.  Commenting on the general principle of in-fill sites, Councillor PJ Kelly, who highlighted the issue earlier this year, described the situation as “crazy and vexatious”. “An in-fill site is …

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Green light for proposed Shannon housing development

WOODHAVEN Developments Limited has received planning permission for the construction of 55 houses and a childcare facility at Smithstown, Shannon. The County Council granted planning permission subject to 28 conditions, three of which require the developer to make separate payments, which, added together, come to over €600,000. One of the conditions requires “a contribution of €311,801 to Clare County Council in respect of public infrastructure and facilities benefiting development in the area of the Planning Authority that is provided for, or intended to be provided by or on behalf of the authority in accordance with the terms of the development contribution scheme under Section 38 of the Planning & Development Act 2000”. A separate requirement is for a cash security of €275,000 until the development is taken in charge by the Council or until there has “satisfactory completion of the development”. Separately before work starts a Special Development Contribution must be paid to Clare County Council, towards the upgrading of …

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Anti-social elements force rapid cutback of bike share scheme

A BIKE sharing scheme introduced to Shannon in July is having to be scaled back already due to anti-social behaviour. While it is not being scrapped, it has been suspended while improvements are being made.  “We have had some instances of anti social behaviour so we have temporarily paused the scheme, we’re introducing some new security measures within the app. We’re having younger teenagers accessing the scheme, and we just need to put in some extra security measures so we can verify their age before they sign up. We’re developing that and we hope to reactivate it in the next week to ten days, back to full capacity,” said Jarlath Gantly, CEO of CoMotion, the company that provides the bikes. Shannon has experienced extensive problems with anti-social behaviour in recent years, with numerous complaints made to authorities about vandalism and intimidatory behaviour.  Councillor Donna McGettigan said that many people have been using the bikes, but that the actions of a …

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European Culture Week to be held in Ennis

VISITORS from seven European countries are set to visit Ennis when the county capitals hosts the 18th European Culture Week. The celebration of culture takes place from August 8 until August 12. This festival is being organised by the Ennis group Clanna Mileadha and will include participants from Sardinia, France, Hungary, Sud-Tyrol, Lithuania, Romania and Spain. The Clanna Mileadha group have attended all the festivals since its inception in 1986 on a bi-annual basis, only missing out on Sardinia in 1990. The festival was first held in Ennis in 2002 and there is great excitement among the groups to make a return visit to Ennis after 20 years. Covid had an impact in delaying the festival by two years as it was due to be held in 2020. A spokesperson for Clanna Mileadha explains, “The groups are coming together to celebrate their unique individuality. Each country is showcasing their culture through the medium of music and dance. Throughout the week …

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Visitor boom prompts parking pressure at Clare amenity

OVERFLOW parking may have to be provided at one of East Clare’s premier tourist attractions due to the boost in visitor numbers in recent years.  The increase in popularity of the Two Mile Gate Lakeside Amenity Park, which includes a state-of-the-art aqua park and a Blue Flag bathing area, was widely welcomed at the recent meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District Committee. With Ballycuggeran Woods on the other side of the main road from Killaloe to Scariff, some concerns were raised about parked vehicles obstructing the route. The matter was raised by Councillors Joe Cooney and Pat Burke, who were told that the Council is exploring options to facilitate visitor demand.  “Fantastic work has been done around Two Mile Gate,” Councillor Cooney said. “Lots of people stayed local during Covid and have found out about it. The problem now is parking in the area.   The place has been chock-a-block in recent days. That’s fantastic to see, but we need …

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Oliver, a huge figure in the life of Ennis, passes away

The term ‘larger than life’ can be over-used, but in the case of Oliver Moylan RIP it’s the perfect description, writes Margaret O’Brien. Oliver was never short of an opinion and had the courage of his own convictions. However, his arguments were tempered with charm and wry humour. An Ennis man through and through. With Oliver it was town first and county second. He grew up in Ennis, he swam at the Turret, played tennis at Ennis Tennis Club, golfed at Ennis Golf Club and ran a successful family business in the heart of town. He had a strong civic spirit and served as President Ennis Golf Club, Ennis Tennis Club and Ennis Chamber, while also serving on the board of Chambers Ireland. He was a director CLDC and served as Chair of the Clare Association of An Taisce. Oliver has been at the helm of Ennis Cash Company since taking over from his father Dr Patrick Moylan in 1958. …

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Kilmurry Harvest Festival returns with huge range of events

THE STAGE is set for the return of the Kilmurry Harvest Festival which runs from this Thursday, August 4,  to Sunday next.  Proceedings get underway with a Quiz Night at the Pumphouse Bar on Thursday evening from 9pm. This is a table quiz for teams of four, at a charge of €20 per table. Haulie Hannon will be the Quiz Master.  Those with an eye for style will be blown away by Friday night’s fashion show, also taking place at the Pumphouse. That gets underway at 8pm. The looks have been put together by High Street Fashion, Freya, CD2 and more. Hair and makeup for models will be looked after by Flair Hair Salon, with music from Devanney’s Goats.  This year’s harvest festival will put a focus on health and wellbeing and Saturday will provide opportunities to get out and about in the fresh air. On Saturday, Exercise with Noel gets underway at Kilmurry Astro Turf Pitch at 10am. This …

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Clonlara spruces up ahead of first Tidy Towns visit in 25 years

CLONLARA has benefited from a major clean-up after the local development association entered the national 2022 Tidy Towns’ Competition for the first time in 25 years. Spearheaded by the Clonlara Development Association (CDA), local volunteers have been very busy preparing for the visit of the national tidy towns’ judges, which can take place any time from June 11 to August 5 without any advance notice. Philippa Keogh of CDA said the village is looking “fantastic”, and noted all the hard work is greatly appreciated by local residents. The last time Clonlara entered this competition was back in 1996. CDA asked the local primary school St Senan’s National School would they get involved with Tidy Towns and they decided to take up their offer of running a colouring competition. The winning posters were then printed on corriboard, when the theme was anti-litter and Pollinator messaging. The group has just received the printed signs and has placed them in key areas around …

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