Tag Archives: clare county council

Clare County Council has formally asked Grant Thornton, the receivers of the unfinished development at Cois Fhorgais in Clarecastle village, to furnish their plans for the site. The development, which is known locally as Devine’s Field, has been in a state of disrepair for several years. Local Fine Gael Deputy Joe Carey has been advised by the council’s planning department that they recently carried out an inspection of the unfinished development at Cois Fhorgais, Clarecastle and had written to the receivers, Grant Thornton, with reference to the long-term resolution of the site and current issues therein which require immediate attention. “As you are aware, the above site is listed on the Register of Unfinished Housing Developments and it is noted that little or no recent works have been carried out on the site to rectify the situation. There is currently a live extension of planning permission on the site, which will expire in April 2016. Consequently, the planning authority has requested the …

Water levels on the Lower River Shannon at Springfield in Clonlara, have risen two inches following overnight rainfall and are now approximately 4-5 inches below the November 2009 peak level, which was reached on Saturday night last. Clare County Council says 8mm of rainfall during Wednesday evening and overnight has contributed to the rise in water levels but that further increases are not anticipated during today, Thursday. The council’s area staff, assisted by The Defence Forces, are continuing to provide support on the ground in Springfield, as well as assist in the transportation of residents of properties isolated by floodwaters. Meanwhile, the ESB confirmed that levels in  Lough Derg stabilised in the past 24 hours and that the flow of water through Parteen Weir will remain at 470 cumecs (cubic metres per second) today. The situation will be reviewed again tomorrow. The ESB warned that this level of water flow will continue to have associated flooding to land and property …

Visitor numbers to the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience were up 15.8% during 2015, it has been confirmed. 1,251,574 people visited the Clare County Council owned centre last year compared to 1,080,501 during 2014, meaning that the Cliffs of Moher broke the one million visitor figure for the just the second time ever last year. It is the fifth successive increase in visitor numbers to the Cliffs of Moher with year-on-year increases of 12.5%, 10%, 8%, 10% and 12.3% being achieved during 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively. Fully Independent Travellers (FITs), mainly travelling by car, made up 49% of the total, representing a 14.6% increase compared to 2014   Groups travelling by coach made up 45.6% of the total and increased by 16.1% on the previous year.  Others including walkers, cyclists and those travelling by public transport made up 5.4% and increased by 16.5% compared to 2014. “This is the highest number of visitors since records were first kept exceeding the …

Clare County Council says it is anticipating an increase in water levels on the Lower River Shannon at Springfield, Clonlara later this evening and overnight as a result of forecast rainfall and the impact of the spill rate of 470 cubic metres per second (cumecs) being maintained at Parteen Weir by the ESB. The local authority, assisted by Clare Civil Defence and The Defence Forces, is maintaining a 24-hour presence to assist residents affected by flooding and to respond to any additional impact. Approximately 5,000 sandbags have been installed in the Springfield area to assist residents of up to 15 properties. Additional sandbags are on standby if required. Up to 30 pumps have been deployed to and are operating in the area. Met Éireann currently has a Yellow Weather Advisory in place for County Clare and is forecasting that a band of rain will move slowly northeastwards over Ireland through this afternoon, evening and tonight. Rainfall amounts of 15 to …

The ESB has cautioned that the levels in Lough Derg have increased marginally in the past 24 hours and that the flow of water through Parteen Weir will remain at 470 cubic metres per second today (Tuesday). The situation will be reviewed again tomorrow. The levels in Lough Derg may reach 2009 levels in the coming days and, as a result, the flow through Parteen Weir may increase up to those levels (up to 500 cumecs). This level of water flow will continue to have associated flooding to land and property in the vicinity of the Shannon downstream of Parteen Weir including the areas of Springfield, Montpelier, Castleconnell, Mountshannon (Annacotty) and the University of Limerick. Other areas between Parteen Weir and Limerick may also be vulnerable to flooding due to local issues. ESB is continuing to monitor the situation and is liaising with the relevant county councils.  

Over €1 million has been granted to Clare for improvement and maintenance works on roads. Clare County Council will be allocated €220,000 for road improvements and a further €791,657 for road maintenance. This funding is part of an allocation of almost €160 million from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). Nationally, €139.7 million of this will go towards road improvement works, while €20.2 million will go towards essential road maintenance. “According to the Minister for Transport, Paschal Donohoe, this funding represents a base allocation for local authorities that will be supplemented during the year in respect of certain maintenance works, pavement works and safety schemes,” commented Clare TD Pat Breen. “Fine Gael has a plan to keep the economic recovery going and ensure that we continue to have more resources to invest in better services and infrastructure like roads. The Government’s capital Investment Plan 2016-2022, allocates €6 billion for transport, which includes €4.4 billion, for the maintenance and renewal of the road …

Ennis Chamber is seeking an independently facilitated meeting with Clare County Council to discuss the issue of the increase in commercial rates passed in the recent annual budget meeting of the local authority, and the further proposed increase for next year. This follows last week’s Day of Action by the Chamber when a large group of businesses gathered in the public gallery of Áras Contae an Chláir for the monthly meeting of Clare County Council to highlight their concerns about the rate changes. Ennis Chamber submitted a letter to the meeting and following interjections from Councillors PJ Kelly and Ann Norton as well as a number of attempts by Councillor Johnny Flynn and an adjournment, the letter was accepted by the meeting with Cathaoirleach James Breen agreeing to put it to County CEO Tom Coughlan for consideration. However according to a spokesperson for the business member organisation they are “concerned” that the local authority will “attempt to side step and …

Clare County Council has awarded a 24-month contract to Midland Animal Care Limited, from County Offaly, to run the Clare Dog Warden Service from January 1. The successful contractor has confirmed to the council its decision to maintain the current employment status of the existing dog warden and kennel assistant. The contract includes the management of dog control throughout Clare, and the running of the dog shelter at the Gort Road, Ennis. Kieran O’Donnell, Clare County Council’s procurement unit, said, “Midland Animal Care Limited met all of the criteria which the council set out in its tender process. Midland Animal Care Limited is also running both the Offaly and Roscommon Dog Warden Services and therefore, has an established track record.” James Barry, senior staff officer, environment directorate, added, “Clare County Council is confident of a seamless transition from the ISPCA to Midland Animal Care Limited. The council acknowledges the role played by ISPCA in operating the service since the opening of the …