Regional

AN independent environmental watchdog has supported plans by a community group to transform a vacant Protestant church in Kilkishen into a new cultural centre costing in the region of €500,000.An Taisce has been criticised by local county councillors for lodging objections to one-off housing and major developments such as the proposed multi-million euro Tinerana House golf resort and leisure complex in Ogonnelloe.However, in a departure from its usual practice, An Taisce has broadly supported a planning application lodged by the Kilkishen Development Association to completely renovate the Clonlea Parish Church, Kilkishen, which has been left in a state of disrepair for the last 50 years.The Kilkishen association has lodged a planning application to Clare County Council seeking refurbishment of the building and extension to the north side, provision of new parking spaces, footpath, entrance gate, disabled access ramp and all associated site works, new slate roof to existing tower, repositioning of part of existing stone boundary wall and connection to …

WITH Doonbeg hosting the village’s annual seafood festival this weekend, some of the leading chefs in the area are convinced that Doonbeg and West Clare is home to world-class seafood.

Parents of children attending a South Galway primary school will have to wait until to November to find out if plans to extend the school building can go ahead.Planning permission granted by Galway County Council for the retention of an existing classroom and the addition of three further classrooms at the school has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála. In March the board of management at St Joseph’s National School, Kinvara, applied to the council to retain a single-storey classroom at the rear of the existing school building and for permission to build a new two-storey extension to contain three additional classrooms a general-purpose room, circulation areas and bathrooms.The council decided last month to allow a classroom to be retained and a new development to take place subject to nine conditions. An appeal against the permission was made to An Bord Pleanála but subsequently declared invalid. However, The Clare Champion has learned that the appeal was relodged on July 4 …

FR Hugh McKenna OFM, Guardian in Ennis Friary, has been elected leader of the Irish Province of Franciscan Friars. Fr McKenna will move to Dublin in August to take up his new post after he was elected the Minister Provincial at a meeting of 90 friars for their provincial chapter in Gormanstown, County Meath recently. Speaking to The Clare Champion about his new appointment, Fr McKenna said, “It’s a great honour and a privilege for me”.The 49-year-old was educated in the Franciscan College, Gormanston and entered the order in 1979, making his First Profession the following year. Ordained to the priesthood in 1989, he has served in a variety of ministries, including as formation director in St Isidore’s College, Rome. Fr McKenna follows in the footsteps of his predecessor Minister Provincial Fr Caoimhín Ó Laoide, also a former Guardian of Ennis Friary.Fr McKenna, a native of Foxrock in Dublin, has been living in Ennis for the past three years. And …

CLARE County Council is statute barred from taking any enforcement proceedings concerning alleged unauthorised works at an end-of-life vehicle recovery facility at Leitrim, Bridgetown, according to planning consultants.

PROBLEMS with the building and a number of unacceptable practices were found at a HSE facility in North Clare, it emerged this week. However, a report by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) on Ennistymon Community Nursing Unit found residents were “cared for in a safe environment and that their nursing and healthcare needs were being met”.The HIQA report, based on an announced inspection on April 11 and 12, and released last week, showed unacceptable practices were found at the facility and that the building in which it is housed provides “a significant challenge to comply with regulations”.According to the report, risk assessments were completed in 2009 but had not been updated or reviewed at the unit since. Inspectors noted that all risks had not been identified, including risk of needle-stick injuries and risks of moving and handling injuries and that significant improvements were required in this area and in ensuring that all staff received fire safety training.Responding to …

MEMBERS of Ennis Town Council have given their backing to the development of a large food store on the outskirts of the town.This week, councillors discussed the proposed variation 2 to the Ennis and Environs Development Plan 2008 – 2014. Among the amendments to the plan proposed by councillors were that a development site at the Limerick Road and Clonroadmore be, subject to assessment of retail impact, “a suitable location for a district centre scheme or a new large foodstore”.This was proposed by Councillor Frankie Neylon “in the interests of balanced retail development” and seconded by Councillor Michael Guilfoyle.The site is currently the subject of a planning application by Michael Lynch Ltd for a 7,000m2 retail development with 610 car-parking spaces. It is understood that, if granted planning permission, Tesco would occupy the site. Councillor Brian Meaney raised his concerns about the proposal to amend the development plan, saying, “Large out-of-town developments have been detrimental to towns across the UK …

SHANNON Chamber has sent a communication to the Minister for Finance highlighting members’ concerns regarding the cost of doing business in Clare, with particular reference to the burden of local government charges.In a statement, the chamber said, “The communication makes reference to the continuous and aggressive efforts member companies are making to address deficits and expenditure in their own organisations to guarantee their survival. “Shannon Chamber has called on the minister to review the local government operational model, reduce commercial rates and increase the funding allocated from the Local Government Fund/General Purpose Grant.”The chamber has also requested the Government examine and increase the Local Government Fund to Clare County Council as a means of redressing the burden being imposed on businesses by excessive local authority charges.“Shannon needs to remain competitive as an investment location for new foreign direct investment and for the indigenous sector. For this reason, Shannon Chamber strongly believes that businesses should be encouraged and supported in their …