South Clare

A NEW major OPW-commissioned study of flooding on the River Shannon will only be successful if residents and businesses adversely affected by floodwaters are consulted, a Clonlara-based lobbyist has warned.Residents in Springfield, Clonlara have consistently campaigned for an independent review of the flood management of the River Shannon to prevent a repeat of the devastation caused in the area in November 2009.

THE long-running saga of the proposed takeover of the Westbury Housing Estate in South-East Clare by Clare County Council has been highlighted again by local Labour Councillor Pascal Fitzgerald, who has organised a petition for local residents.

A local businesswoman who suffers from an extreme skin disorder has a new spring in her step following the official launch of a new €2 ­million Dermatology Outpatient Centre at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick.

Fears that urgent resurfacing works will only take place on the Clare side of a landmark river crossing linking the twin communities of Ballina and Killaloe have been allayed by a local engineer.

AS fears grow for the future viability of a Mid-West construction firm, Clare County Council has confirmed it called in planning bonds totalling €907,000 concerning housing developments not fully completed by the firm in Westbury about nine months ago.Director of service, Nora Kaye, has revealed the council decided to exercise its option to call in six or seven planning bonds held by Chieftain Construction Limited concerning estates in Westbury, which is one of the largest private housing estates in the Mid-West. In an exclusive interview with The Clare Champion, Ms Kaye said issues arose before planning bonds were due to be renewed by the company and the council decided to call in the value of the bonds in March 2010.Confirming all the planning bonds relating to a number of developments built by the company in Westbury had now been realised, she explained this process was completed following correspondence between the two parties at the time.Limerick developer and yachtsman, Ger O’Rourke, …

IRISH taxpayers have been hit by a major compensation bill after official confirmation that the new €660 million Shannon Tunnel attracted 3,500 fewer motorists on a daily basis than originally anticipated.To avoid penalty payments, 17,000 vehicles need to pass through the Shannon Tunnel every day under a 30-year Public Private Partnership (PPP) deal agreed between the National Roads Authority (NRA) and the operators, Direct Route.NRA spokesman, Seán O’Neill, has confirmed that the average daily usage of the Shannon Tunnel since it opened last July has been in the region of 13,500.The Ennis man dismissed the notion that the deal represented some kind of “gravy train” for the developers as the Government only paid 90% of the company’s debt level payments, leaving it to cover the cost of the remaining 10% in addition to running costs.This deal only applies to the Shannon Tunnel and the M3 motorway, which has prompted criticism from some public representatives as to why commuters using the …

AN experienced member of the Killaloe Coast Guard Unit was honoured with a civic reception at University of Limerick’s White House last April for completing a 5,000km row across the Atlantic Ocean.

A NEW study of dissolved organic matter in Lough Derg, led by a Newmarket-on-Fergus environmental scientist, has indicated that contamination of the Nenagh River may be contributing significantly to the levels of agricultural waste in the lake.