South Clare

A Parteen-based blow-moulding company will be able to generate its own electricity, having secured planning permission to erect an 800 kilowatt wind turbine.

A DECISION on the controversial boundary extension of Limerick City is not expected to take place before the end of the year.Responding to questions from The Clare Champion, a Department of Environment spokesman confirmed the proposal still haS not gone to Government and couldn’t say if a decision would be made before Christmas.The spokesman explained the proposal is in the queue behind a series of financial measures required to put the country’s national finances in order. Passing the plan requires the drafting of national legislation, which has to be approved by the Cabinet, while the boundary extension requires a ministerial order.Opposition to the boundary extension has been expressed by public representatives and Clare Against the Boundary Extension (CABE), which organised a protest march attended by an estimated 2,000 people last October.CABE has requested a meeting to discuss its concerns with Environment Minister John Gormley and has made representations to Clare and Limerick Oireachtas members, including Defence Minister Tony Killeen and …

OFFICIAL approval for a tourism development in Ogonnelloe has been overturned by An Bord Pleanála following an appeal by An Taisce.Clare County Council recently granted Patrick Jones permission to renovate and extend two houses and provide treatment units and associated percolation areas and retention of a boardwalk on the jetty at Aughinish, Ogonnelloe subject to 10 conditions.The conditions included approval to refurbish buildings denoted on plans as buildings A and C but the original proposed breakwater and renovation of building B was not permitted.The dwellings could only be used for short-term lettings and couldn’t be used as permanent places of residence.Mr Jones had withdrawn a proposal to provide a break-water facility as this was deemed to be too expensive and he also deferred plans to renovate building identified as B in the original plans to renovate and extend three houses.The applicant was prepared to submit a separate planning application to refurbish the middle house once he receives a derogation licence …

A NEW gift voucher scheme operated by the local traders’ association aims to encourage people to shop in Ballina and Killaloe in the Christmas season.

CLARE County Council has been asked to gift a portion of the unused land, fenced within the boundary of the Shannon Banks sewage treatment plant compound, to a local scout troop.

STAFF recruitment is continuing for a new €1.2m community childcare facility in Killaloe catering for 50 children following the appointment of a new manager.It is expected that the state-of-the-art facility, which is located at the Bane Field, Knockyclovaun adjacent to the Killaloe Children’s Playground, will be open early in 2011.Affordable childcare will be provided to all parents in the community who want care for their babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers. An after-school service currently being run by Killaloe Community Development Company (KCDC) from a rented premises on Main Street, Killaloe will also move to this new facility. It is expected that up to 10 people will be employed in the new building.The process of staff recruitment is currently underway and the manager of the facility has been appointed. The new manager is Deirdre Gleeson, who has two children and is the daughter of Tom and Joan Gleeson of Ross, Bridgetown. Her mother, Joan was a former teacher at St Anne’s Community …

WATERWAYS Ireland (WI) has ruled out securing Government funding for a proposed multi-million euro project revitalising derelict parts of an old navigation system to attract thousands of new tourists into South-East Clare.In an interview with The Clare Champion, WI head of marketing, Eanna Rowe confirmed this project wasn’t feasible in the short term due to the huge scale of the costs involved.However, Mr Rowe pledged the agency would consider examining the potential of developing the old navigation system on the River Shannon as a major tourist attraction in the future.“WI are now in a period of consolidation. Government funding was secured in recent years but I don’t know what funding will be available after the Budget on December 7.“WI have been able to make funding go a lot further in projects because of the drop in consumer prices. Most of the boating takes place between Killaloe and Portumna. WI would like to see more people use the inlands waterways navigation …

UP to 15 all-weather indoor soccer pitches could be provided by the University of Limerick and an ambitious O’Briensbridge developer, who plans to expand his state-of-the-art €9.2 million indoor football arena.Not content with the provision of the largest indoor football arena in Munster, O’Briensbridge businessman, Ralph Parkes, hopes to add another three AstroTurf pitches to the existing seven in the Delta Soccer Dome in the Delta Retail Park, Ballysimon, Limerick City.A joint collaboration with UL, which has five indoor all-weather pitches on its Clare campus, would provide 15 indoor playing pitches within a short distance of one another for major national and international sporting events.While most businesses in the Mid-West are struggling to stay afloat, Mr Parkes seems to have hit the target with his facility. Interestingly, the building wasn’t originally designed as a sports facility and only came about when a deal to accommodate a major pharmaceutical tenant fell through.At first, it was decided to divide the massive building, …