Tag Archives: Anne Haugh

CONSTRUCTION on a new social housing development in an east Clare town is due to start before the end of the year, a Senior Engineer has confirmed.  Plans for 18 homes on a site at the Feakle Road in Ballyminoge, Scariff, were lodged by Clare County Council in November 2021. Last July, the authority was granted just over €6.09 million for the development, which is to be named ‘Droichead Nua’.  Last week’s meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District heard an update on the scheme, following a question from Councillor Joe Cooney. The Fine Gael member welcomed a progress report from Senior Executive Engineer in Housing, Niamh Madden. He noted that there are 140 people on the housing waiting list in the area, and expressed the hope some might be looked after with the new development.  Ms Madden’s response outlined that funding from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) had been granted “with an all-in budget of €6,093,289 …

THE government’s new housing plan will fail Clare unless it addresses the unique challenges facing permanent residents trying to secure affordable housing around Clare’s tourist hotspots. That’s the warning delivered this week by Coucillor Cillian Murphy, who told a council meeting on Monday all the anecdotal evidence suggests there is a crisis in the availability of affordable housing stock, for both private ownership or long term rental for permanent residents. Councillor Murphy called on the local authority to conduct the relevant research to establish the current demand in Clare for affordable housing for permanent residents who do not qualify for social housing assistance, with a firm timeline for the delivery of this research. While Councillor Murphy applauded the vision and pragmatism in the government’s New Housing for All plan, he stressed the devil will be in the detail as to where housing solutions will be provided. “The demand for second or holiday homes is long recognised worldwide as a push …

MEMBERS of the local community are being invited to participate in the development of a Town Enhancement and Mobility Plan for Killaloe-Ballina. Clare County Council and Tipperary County Council have started the preparation of the plan, which will facilitate a coordinated approach to public realm enhancements within Killaloe and Ballina, providing a clear vision for Killaloe and Ballina as linked settlements. The Killaloe-Ballina Town Enhancement and Mobility Plan is a non-statutory plan that is being prepared on behalf of both local authorities with a view to supporting the development and enhancement of the twin villages. The plan will deal with a number of topics, including transport and mobility, place making and public realm; street furniture design, tourism, blue-green infrastructure strategy and the development proposals for identified ‘opportunity sites’. Specific measures, designs and schemes will promote the towns’ complementarity, and create an overall focus on their joint strengths and opportunities in terms of functionality, aesthetics and the changing transport profile of …

AN appeal has been made for support for the East Clare business community, as Ireland moves into the second phase of the re-opening of the economy. Addressing the May meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, Councillor Pat Hayes asked that the local authority might look to the example set in County Cork where a plan had been devised to support 28 towns in re-opening for business. “We depend on rate payers,” the Fianna Fáil member pointed out, “and they depend on public services. Almost every business has had to close and they’re now slowly re-opening. I would ask that the council officials speak to the business community in East Clare to see what they need to get them back on track, with so many restrictions continuing around public health.” The Caher-based councillor noted that Cork County Council had been making strong efforts in supporting its urban centres to resume economic activity after the lockdown. “When you look around the country, …

CHANGES in the organisational structure of Clare County Council, including the creation of five directorates, have led to “too many chiefs and not enough Indians”. Following the recent appointment of new chief executive Pat Dowling to Clare County Council, a “series of improvements to the organisational structure of Clare County Council” have been announced. “Five distinct directorates, each being led by a director of service/head of finance, will be created,” the council stated. Councillor Gerry Flynn has questioned if the right moves are being made. “The new CEO is after coming into his job in Clare County Council and already has had success in increasing the property tax for homeowners by 15%, which is going to bring in another €1.5 million into the coffers of Clare County Council. He more or less outlined the benefits of increasing the property tax and that’s what they [the councillors] did,” Councillor Flynn said. “On the other hand, I’m hopeful that the changes will …