Tag Archives: clare county council

A CALL has been made for measures to support homeowners who have pyrite in their foundations, as well as in their blocks.  While Clare is to be included, in the coming months, in a grant scheme to remediate block work, this does not cover foundations. At the January meeting of the local authority, Councillor Ian Lynch called for the inclusion of Clare in the Pyrite Remediation Scheme, set up ten years ago to address pyrite in under-floors and foundations. The West Clare member also called for the removal of the controversial ‘damage threshold’ that homes will be required to meet before being able to access grant funding.  “I think that any house that has been identified as having pyrite and defective concrete blocks shouldn’t be subject to a damage threshold,” Councillor Lynch told the meeting. “What’s the point trying to fix the concrete blocks and the outside, and then waiting three or four years and finding that the household has …

PRICE gouging in the entertainment industry was widely condemned at a meeting of the local authority, now that major acts are returning to Ireland after the pandemic. The matter was highlighted by Councillor Pat McMahon who said that only Ed Sheeran had provided “reasonably-priced tickets” last year and played venues around the country.  Calling on the County to request that the Consumer Protection Commission would examine pricing of “high-profile concerts and major events in Ireland”, the Newmarket man, said he had been alerted to the problem by family, neighbours and friends. He outlined that after researching the matter, he became aware that two major global companies dominated ticket sales and concert bookings. “What amazes me it was no competition whatsoever,” he said. “If you look closely at the major concerts on in Ireland, only two major firms are mentioned all the time. I’m talking about the major concerts, The smaller concerts have smaller companies running them. It’s amazing in a …

NATIONAL policy on rural Ireland has been condemned by a West Clare councillor, who said it has resulted in an “expensive refusal kit” for planning applications. Councillor PJ Kelly tabled a motion at the January meeting of the local authority, calling for the Minister for Housing and Local Government and Heritage “to indemnify Clare County Council against all costs and/or claims which may arise because the Council, in its County Development Plan, complied with Ministerial Directives on planning guidelines”. Councillors were widely critical of controversial guidelines, over several months, due mainly to the restrictions placed on the number of new homes to be permitted outside of Ennis and Shannon. Concerns were also expressed over the accuracy of population data used to inform the national guidelines, given the most recent Census and the shift to remote working ushered in by the Covid pandemic.  At the January meeting, Councillor Kelly said there was “a duty to protect our Council against any type …

RATES and their impact on small and family-run businesses were in the spotlight at the January meeting of the local authority with Clare’s newest county councillor called for their reform.  Tabling his first motion since being coopted to the local authority, Councillor Tom O’Callaghan called on the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to amend the Valuation Act to ensure rates are based on the profits a business makes, rather than the size of its premises. He urged that this be done before the revaluation process, currently being conducted, becomes effective from January of next year.  “I believe very strongly our focus needs to be on protecting the viability of the small to medium family-run business, through County Clare, especially in the heart of our towns and our rural villages,” he told the chamber. “Any support, reduce costs is needed and very much appreciated.” The Ennis district member outlined the spiralling costs of credit for small businesses and highlighted …

A BRIEFING on the impact that new planning laws might have on the powers of local authority members is to be organised, the head of the Council has said.  Mr Pat Dowling was responding, at the January meeting of the authority, to concerns voiced by Councillor Cillian Murphy. The Loop Head man raised the topic of the Planning and Development Act, which was signed into law last month. He noted correspondence from Cork County Council members who have forwarded their concerns to Minister Darragh O’Brien and to associations representing councillors. They said that the law will “limit local Councillors’ powers” and that a ten-year proposed life span for county development plans is “far too long”.  Addressing Clare County Council, Councillor Murphy asked for a briefing on how the new legislation will impact local authority members. “It is only a notice of motion that was passed by the council in Cork, but if there is something there and if it is …

RETAILERS in Ennis have weathered “the perfect storm” in recent years and are now facing “retail Darwinism – survival of the fittest”, believes Ennis Chamber’s CEO Margaret O’Brien. The county capital has seen some retail outlets shut their doors for good, and there are fears that more closures are yet to come. However Ms O’Brien insists Ennis is “in strong position to attract new outlets”, adding that support is needed from the local authority and landlords to realise the town’s full potential. Meanwhile, Gwen Culligan, one of the county’s best known retailers, believes the coterie of agile, independent retailers in Ennis have given the town a strong backbone. “We can’t hold back change, but we can do our best to work with it, in order to survive and thrive,” she says. Ms O’Brien toldThe Clare Champion, “Recent years must have felt like a running battlefield for retailers. The Covid pandemic wreaked havoc for two years, then came the war in …

GRITTING of the county’s roads during December’s sub-zero temperatures was commended by Council members who also called for more to be done to keep rural routes safe. A joint motion, tabled by Councillors Cillian Murphy, Shane Talty, Ian Lynch, Joe Killeen, Joe Garrihy and Cathaoirleach Tony O’Brien highlighted “significant difficulties” in many rural communities. The motion also asked for a review of what constitutes a “strategic regional route” in the Council’s priority list in the winter gritting plan.  Councillor Murphy commended the work of Council teams over the cold snap. “There are a number of routes across the country that that seem to provide the critical key transport corridors for communities,” the Loop Head man said. “Just because they have lower population density, it does leave them at far more risk of isolation than many other communities. I had a call from the school in Kilkee where school and public transport were not operating because it was unsafe to do …

TEACHERS and staff at St Flannan’s College have voiced opposition to plans for the development of a €25 million 100-bed community nursing unit on land used as playing grounds by the Ennis secondary school. According to a statement issued by the staff of St Flannan’s the proposal “will have a seriously negative impact” on the student population. “The green field site in St Flannan’s College is the last remaining site of its kind in Ennis. Urban sprawl is taking up much more of our green spaces each year. Once this land is built upon it will be gone forever,” it states. The teachers and staff have detailed reasons for their opposition to the plans including that during the academic year many teams of various sports regularly train on the pitches. “With so many students on the fields at any one time all our field space is utilised, including much of the space that is suggested for development under the proposed …