Tag Archives: clare county council

FUNDING concerns have prompted a West Clare councillor to remark that “’The Old Bog Road is not in the Top 20’ when it comes to the priorities of the local authority. Councillor PJ Kelly made his comments as he tabled a motion before the July county council meeting asking why a decision, made five years ago, to raise a significant loan for local roads was not complied with. The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS), which has funded privately-owned roads for several decades, was scrapped temporarily between 2012 and 2017, prompting a country-wide outcry. In response to that situation, Councillor Kelly tabled a motion in March of 2016 proposing the raising of a loan of €1.6m. He cited the centenary of the 1916 Proclamation and its aim to “cherish all people of the national equally”. At the time, the motion went to a vote and was supported by all 24 members present. At last week’s local authority meeting, Councillor PJ Kelly asked …

Clare Local Sports Partnership showcases initiatives to Minster Frank Feighan at Lees Road PROJECTS aimed at ensuring all members of society have an opportunity to take part in physical activity and sport were showcased during a visit of Minister of State Frank Feighan to Ennis last week. The Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health, Well Being and National Drugs Strategy witnessed two of the projects in action which have been led by Clare Sports Partnership while he was at Active Ennis John O’Sullivan Park, Lees Road. John Conroy from Fitness for Fun, led an outdoor exercise class which has become a popular weekly event among older adults. Also, James O’Donohue, disability representative to Clare Sports Partnership, and Liam Casey, a wheelchair user from Ennis also showcased handcycles for those who use wheelchairs. The TD was met by board members and staff of Clare Local Sports Partnership including chairperson to the board, Tim Forde, Councillor Ann Norton, Mayor of …

THE Chief Executive of the local authority has pledged to spend the summer working to secure the national support that will be needed if Shannon Heritage’s Clare attractions are to transfer to the council. At July meeting of the authority, a number of members welcomed the announcement that a process of due diligence involving the council and Shannon Group is underway. Chief Executive Pat Dowling told members that he is putting a council team together with the necessary financial and legal expertise and that he himself will meet staff at the Clare attractions in the month of August. News of the potential transfer was announced at the end of last month. It followed a protracted period of uncertainty and intermittent closure, caused by Covid restrictions, for Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Knappogue Castle and Craggaunowen, as well as Shannon Heritage’s other sites. The matter was noted at the local authority meeting by Councillor Joe Garrihy who described the potential transfer …

THE Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District has been sharply critical of a lack of action on illegal dumping on a number of sites around the county, including one on the Tulla Road. Councillor Ann Norton asked a series of detailed questions ahead of the July meeting of the local authority looking for a progress update – in terms of waste removal and remediation – on hotspots across Clare. The Independent member also sought an update on staff resources and the number of enforcement notices served over the last three years. Welcoming an official reply, which said that 97% of complaints made since 2018 had been resolved, Councillor Norton voiced disappointment at the fact that the Tulla Road site has not been tackled. “I was first asked to raise this issue some years ago,” she said. “Now, once again, there are questions over what is being done. The 3% of unresolved dumping sites are always an issue. This includes the …

PLANS for a new Aldi store in Ennis are “good news” for the county capital insists hurling legend Brian Lohan. The Clare hurling manager alongside Inch businessman Martin O’Malley are behind plans to develop the Westpoint Retail Park on the Kilrush Road. If given the go-ahead, the discount store will be an anchor tenant in the second stage of Westpoint’s development, with a HSE Outpatients Department already on site. Mr Lohan has lodged a planning application to Clare County Council for a change of use from retail warehouse to a discount food store at Westpoint. According to Aldi this new store will create 30 new permanent jobs at the store, and up to 50 construction jobs, if given the green light. It aims to open the 1,000sqm store in late 2023. Mr Lohan told The Clare Champion that they have been working in partnership with Aldi for a number of months ahead of lodging this planning application. He said he …

A COUNTY Clare sports club has described funding received through Healthy Ireland as a “lifeline”. Derg Athletics Club received €22,000 of the total €374,100 allocated to county Clare under Healthy Ireland funding. On Friday the club hosted Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health, Well Being and National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan in Killaloe to see first-hand the benefits the funding has brought for local and voluntary groups in Clare. The TD was greeted by the Cathaoirleach and elected members of Clare County Council, Clare Oireachtas Members, and local representatives and stakeholders, together with staff from Clare County Council and representatives of the wider community in Killaloe. Established in 2013, Derg Athletics Club offers physical activity programmes for all in Clarisford Park, Killaloe. Healthy Ireland funding is helping to sustain the club’s inclusive athletics programmes and is essential to enabling participation in athletics activities for children with a physical disability or those on the autism spectrum. It is available …

A NEW centre for natural medicines and therapy has been given the go-ahead by Clare County Council for a site outside Feakle. The owners of the Satmya Vedic Living Centre, which has been in operation in Killaloe since 2007, told county planners they wish to create an eco-friendly building on lands that they own in Magherabawn, Feakle. The project will involve a single-storey building to replace existing demolished stables and will contain a classroom, treatment room, consultation facilities and dispensary. Six parking spaces will be created beside an existing yard and a hay barn will be removed. The business will offer naturopathy as well as an Indian traditional therapy called Ayurveda. Yvette and Douglas Hyde have described the proposed new building as being in the style of a traditional Irish farmhouse or outbuilding with a corrugated red iron roof and external cladding of plaster or wood. According to the planning application, the treatment room will be used for teaching Ayurveda …

PLANS for housing for older members of a religious community in Tuamgraney are being considered by Clare County Council. At the end of last month, The Christian Community lodged an application to update their existing facilities at Drewsborough and to create 12 new accommodation units. On its website (Thechristiancommunityireland.net), The Christian Community, a registered charity, describes itself as a “religious renewal movement”, which was founded in Europe in the years following World War I and came to Ireland in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Currently, weekly and monthly services are held in Tuamgraney and in the Kilkenny area. According to a design statement submitted with the application, the existing Christian Community Centre is made up of a chapel, priest’s house, visitor accommodation, therapy rooms and associated services. “The existing chapel does not meet the needs of the community/congregation,” the statement outlined, “and the building is in need of major repairs and maintenance”. The statement also described “an acute need identified in …