Tag Archives: clare county council

Irish Water will this week begin the process to take in charge the administration of over 6,600 business customer accounts in County Clare. The change will see responsibility for account administration for existing business customers in Clare move to Irish Water from Clare County Council. Charges for business customers, credit terms and the frequency of billing will remain unchanged while this transition is taking place. Business customers in Clare will now have a single point of customer contact for all queries in relation to water supply, wastewater treatment and business account management. Irish Water will contact all 6,600 business customers and other affected groups directly, once the transition takes place. Bills will be issued from Irish Water directly, as they fall due, from December onwards. Irish Water recently completed a €4.6 million water mains rehabilitation project in Ennis, which has led to significant improvements in network performance, security of supply and efficiency for businesses and homes in the area. In …

Ward and Burke Construction Ltd. have commenced work at Maid of Erin Roundabout in Ennis today as part of the Ennis Active Travel Town Scheme, which will deliver improved cyclist and pedestrian facilities throughout the town. The work will involve alteration to two splitter islands and the reduction from two short filter lanes to one approach lane for traffic and one advance lane for cyclists on all four arms. A circulating lane for cyclists will also be constructed. Red high friction surfacing will be applied to the cyclelanes. Ramped sections will also be constructed to connect to the West Clare Railway Greenway at Mill Road. Traffic Management Plans will be in place. Works are also commencing at Club Bridge Junction at the existing parking area near the Colaiste Muire boundary wall where an extended paved area, cycle parking and traffic calming will be provided. Works are continuing at Hawthorns / Westfields Roundabout on the Limerick Road and are due to …

Clare County Council has submitted an application for funding under the Rural Economic Development Zones (REDZ) initiative to develop the tourism potential of Scattery Island. Uninhabited since 1979, Scattery Island – also known as Inish Cathaigh – is located approximately one mile from Kilrush in the Shannon Estuary and is home to a monastery founded in the early 6th century by St. Senan. The island features the ruins of six churches and one of the highest Round Towers in Ireland at 120 ft. high. The funding application by the Economic Development and Rural Development sections of Clare County Council coincides with the OPW’s appointment of Conservation Architects, to undertake a Conservation and Management Plan relating to the island. It is anticipated that a new ferry provider will also be formally appointed shortly to provide a service from Kilrush Marina during the summer months. Meanwhile, the OPW’s new exhibition of Scattery Island is approaching completion and a “fresh” exhibition will be …

Clare County Council has beaten off competition from across the island of Ireland to be named winner of the Charles Thomson Award, an annual award scheme which recognises the work of Local Authorities in promoting water safety. Irish Water Safety (IWS) and the Republic of Ireland and Ulster branch of the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) presented the award to Clare County Council at a ceremony in Dublin attended by Councillor Paul Murphy (Leas Cathaoirleach), Pat Dowling (Chief Executive), Anne Haugh (Director of Services) and Clare McGrath (Clare Water Safety Development Officer). The Charles Thomson Award scheme organisers commended Clare County Council for its work in promoting water safety during 2015 including the completion of new lifeguard, training and public facilities at Whitestrand Miltown Malbay, the securing of a record number of International Blue Flags in spite of the damage caused by storms al local beaches during the previous year, the ongoing provision of professional training and upskilling opportunities for …

POSITIVE progress is being made on the development potential of Scattery Island as a tourism destination. The Office of Public Works has appointed conservation architects to prepare a Conservation and Management Plan, which will see Scattery Island as the first off-land destination point on the Wild Atlantic Way. Councillor Gabriel Keating said, “It is great to see Clare County Council, the Office of Public Works and the local community working together to deliver on the undoubted potential that there is.” He said the appointment of the conservation architects, combined with the upgrading of the exhibition in the Scattery Island Visitor Centre and the proposed enhancement of ferry services to the island, offer the prospect of Scattery further developing into a key and unique part of the Wild Atlantic Way. “I know also that the council is looking at a Rural Economic Development Zone (REDZ) project for the island, which will further develop heritage tourism in the wider Kilrush area. The …

Clare County Council has been requested by the Office of Public Works (OPW) to provide additional information, including photographic evidence of flooding in Springfield. The request was made in respect of the OPW’s ongoing review of the council’s request for funding approval. This development emerged in a week when the council was notified by the OPW of its decision to allocate €49,500 to undertake remediation  works on a 250m section of river embankment (Blackwater River). The council expects remediation works to commence during November. Weather permitting, it is hoped the works will be completed by the end of the year. The council has completed a procurement process and has identified a consultant who would carry out a focused feasibility study with a view to identifying a sustainable solution to the historic flooding issues at Springfield, Clonlara. As of June last, the council has been seeking funding approval from the OPW to appoint a consultant. It envisages that any flood prevention works approved ancillary …

Members of the public and stakeholder groups interested in the proposed Shannon Town Park project are being asked for their input during a five-week period of public consultation. The €910,000 project will see the enhancement and incorporation of the existing town park woodland and the adjacent Rineanna Park into a flagship town park for the people of Shannon. A full design team, led by a Landscape Architect and Urban Designer, was appointed in late September to progress the design and planning phases of the project and Clare County Council anticipates that contractors could be on site in mid-2017, subject to statutory planning procedures and approval. Clare County Council is now asking members of the public for its input while the Local Authority is also planning to engage with various stakeholders, including schools, residents, locals and visitors to the area. A questionnaire will be made available in the Shannon Municipal District Office, Shannon Library and at Shannon Leisure Centre, while ideas …

Clare County Council has been approved €659,554 to bring local authority houses back into use throughout the county. The money will be used to renovate 30 houses for re-letting. The council applied for funding to renovate 87 derelict houses.However, three applications were rejected and a further 56 are in the process of being assessed. Clare Deputy Joe Carey said, “There are two programmes that enable local authorities to refurbish vacant social housing requiring more significant works than the normal level of pre-letting repairs. The Voids programme provides funding of up to €30,000 per unit while the Derelicts programme is aimed at more seriously derelict social houses,” Deputy Carey explained. “The Housing Agency is being provided with €70 million to engage with lending institutions to acquire properties for social housing and this is expected to deliver 1,600 units over the period to 2020. Other measures include a ‘Repair and Leasing’ initiative to allow property owners bring vacant properties up to standard …