Tag Archives: clare county council

CLARE County Council has raised some issues regarding Gaelscoil Donncha Rua’s new school development and sought further information.  In the further information request, it says that there is a question about the site area. The local authority suggests that elements of the design are outside the developable boundary of the application. The Council stated, “It is noted that the site area for this application as outlined in red on the details as submitted with the application, does not extend as far as the roadside edge with the Bealach Brí road and as a result aspects of the proposed development, including the new vehicular entrance from the Bealach Brí road and the proposed pedestrian access from the bus set down area, do not appear within the developable boundary of the application.  “It is not clear therefore if the applicant has sufficient legal interest to develop these particular items, which are considered to be integral aspects of this proposal. You are therefore …

REMOTE working for those living in the county town has taken a major step forward with the opening of the Ennis Digital Hub. The state-of-the-art facility at the Quin Road Business Park was officially opened by Minister Heather Humphries at the end of last month and brings to ten the number of hubs operating under Clare County Council’s Digiclare initiative. Among those welcoming the centre was Councillor Johnny Flynn who said the hub was a long-time goal for the county town. “Six years ago, I tabled a notice of motion requesting a feasibility study be carried out on the development of a hub for Ennis,” he outlined. “I believe the facility will be critical in enabling people living in the area to enable employment. The Ennis hub is the tenth in the county, so the people of the county town have been waiting patiently as the rural centres were developed first. The potential of the hub is huge in enabling …

THE founder of the Clare Pyrite Action Group has described as “farcical” a response from the Department of Housing on the timeframe for a decision on the possible extension of the existing redress scheme to this county. Dr Martin Cleary questioned why there has been no indication to-date of when Minister Darragh O’Brien will issue a response to a report, submitted by the local authority on July 27, containing detailed evidence of the presence of pyrite here and making the case for extension of the Defective Concrete Blocks scheme to Clare. Dr Cleary’s comments follow a statement to The Champion which outlines that the report, commissioned by the Department, “will be examined thoroughly by the Department and a submission will be made to the Minister as soon as possible thereafter”. “It’s quite amazing that back in 2012 Darragh O’Brien was in the Dáil calling for urgent support for his own constituents who were affected by pyrite,” she said. “Now, here …

A PUBLIC information event will take place next Monday (August 16) to air environmental concerns over the planned €1.2 billion Ennis data centre. The online briefing will be hosted by Futureproof Clare, who are calling on the local authority to reject the application on the grounds of the centre’s massive energy requirements. It will be addressed by Deputy Bríd Smith and Professor Barry McMullin of Dublin City University (DCU). According to an application lodged by Art Data Centres Ltd last month, the facility will have access to 200 mega-watts of power from both the network grid and gas generation on site. The data centre campus, whose developers have promised will create thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent positions, is identified by Clare County Council as a key pillar of the Ennis 2040 Economic Plan. Concerns over energy and resource consumption by the facility have now been raised by Futureproof Clare, Extinction Rebellion Clare and the Clare Environmental Network. …

THIS Saturday will see a local Heritage Week event, with the launch of the Hastings Farmhouse Restoration Project, from 3-5.30pm. Hastings Farmhouse (which is between the Crematorium and Illaunmanagh Cemetery) is the last remnant of 19th Century farming landscape in the Tullyvarraga area. Its remaining walls were conserved by Dúchas na Sionna in 2012, and it is now hoped to fully restore the house and outbuilding for use as a heritage centre, community venue and exhibition space. The restoration is a collaborative project between Dúchas na Sionna and the Shannon Archaeological & Historical Society with assistance from Clare County Council, the Clare Local Development Company, the Heritage Council and the Built Heritage Fund, Saturday will launch phase one of the project, which will see the completion of a conservation plan, feasibility study, architectural survey and the consolidation of the existing walls in advance of the proposed restoration. It will be launched by Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council PJ Ryan and …

CNOC na Gaoithe in Tulla was lauded by the Minister Heather Humphreys as an outstanding example of how local communities can harness support to bring old buildings back into use. The Minister for Rural and Community Development stopped off in East Clare during her whistle-stop tour of the county last Thursday (July 29). As part of the national ‘Our Rural Future Roadshow’, the minister saw a range of projects which are being supported by funding from her department. At the Cnoc na Gaoithe centre, where Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann are redeveloping the old convent and primary school building into a cultural hub, Minister Humphreys was treated to a tour of the work to-date as well as a flavour of the rich musical traditional of the area. “What I’ve seen here is absolutely fantastic,” Minister Humphreys told The Champion. “What strikes me most is community. Community, working with local authority, and realising their ambitions, identifying what they want to do in their …

FOLLOWING consultation with the Health Service Executive (HSE), Irish Water, working in partnership with Clare County Council, has issued a Do Not Consume Notice for consumers on the Shannon/Sixmilebridge Public Water Supply due to elevated levels of manganese. The notice applies to approximately 7,500 customers and is effective immediately. It does not apply to customers in Shannon, Newmarket-on-Fergus and Bunratty. It is especially important that mains drinking water is not given to bottle fed infants. Please note this is not a Boil Water Notice. Boiling the water will not reduce manganese levels and is therefore not a suitable measure to make the water safe to consume. This notice does not apply to other water schemes in County Clare. Tankered water will be in place at the following locations to provide an alternative water supply to customers. Customers are reminded to use their own containers when taking water from the tanker and to boil water before consumption as a precautionary measure. …

DESIGN work on the proposed Scariff to Limerick Greenway is to begin now that contracts have been signed, Clare’s Fianna Fáil TD has confirmed. Deputy Cathal Crowe, who is his party’s tourism and aviation spokesperson, described the potential of the 41km route as “transformational in South and East Clare”. The project, led by Waterways Ireland in conjunction with the ESB and Clare and Limerick County Councils, will result in a greenway stretching from Scariff to Killaloe, along the Errina Canal, crossing the River Shannon at the Black Bridge near the University of Limerick (UL) and on to Limerick City. “There are really good road linkages between south and east Clare and Limerick City but a greenway will take people off the beaten track and allow them to experience the natural wonders of our county,” Deputy Crowe said. “The old Errina Canal was once one of the busiest waterways in Ireland but has fallen into a state of dereliction over the …