Tag Archives: clare county council

CLARE County Council has approved the commencement of work on the complete refurbishment of all toilet facilities within the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre. Clare contractor Jada Projects Ltd has been appointed to complete the project. Clare County Council signed the contract, which is valued at €208,444 ex VAT, earlier this month. The improvements include a full refit of the toilets on the ground floor and first floor. The works will see the unisex model that was in place revert to separate male and female toilet facilities. It is expected that the works will be completed in July. Mayor of Clare, Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy, said: “The toilet refurbishment will be a welcome improvement to facilities at the world-class visitor attraction. With 1.6m visitors to the cliffs in 2019, it is crucially important to maintain high standards of accessibility, convenience and hygiene in Visitor Centre facilities – perhaps now more than ever, given the public health requirements to combat Covid-19.” …

Concern has been expressed about the scale of a €30 million overdraft for Clare County Council, which was approved at a recent local authority meeting. This comes as the council has to deal with a potential deficit of €19.7 million as a result of the collapse of economic activity during the Covid-19 pandemic. Having raised questions about the financial impact of Covid-19 on the local authority’s income, Councillor Pat Hayes said the size of this overdraft showed how the authority’s finances are under serious threat. Councillor Hayes is concerned the council will lose a lot of income as a result of the lockdown from commercial rates, the Cliffs of Moher and parking, which should result in equivalent funding from the government to prevent cutbacks. He said continuing with a €30 million overdraft over the coming years is not sustainable on an ongoing basis without additional government financial support. “There is a major headache for local authorities in the future in …

ENNIS’ Market Building could be used to create a ‘socially distant’ community space where locals and visitors can sit down and enjoy food and beverages, it has been suggested. Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Councillor Clare Colleran-Molloy believes that the building could be used to support efforts within the town to promote social distancing in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The transformation of the Ennis Market would also provide a boost to local restaurants by providing additional seating. The idea is now set to be brought to the stakeholders group involved in the Temporary Ennis Town Centre Mobility Plan for review. Councillor Colleran-Molloy proposed the idea for developing a seating area in the market at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District. She explained, “As it will be a while before we will be back up and running, and based on contributions received from the public, I would ask that the Market Building be utilised as a …

GRIEVING families are “distraught” and feel their deceased loved ones are being “forgotten about” after being buried in part of Drumcliff cemetery. While reports of items disappearing from graves in the older section of the cemetery has been condemned as “appalling and upsetting” sparking calls for CCTV cameras to be installed. Councillor Mark Nestor, speaking at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, urged works are needed to improve the layout of the burial ground and provide greater connectivity between the old and new sections. He pointed out that there is a row of trees acting as a barrier between two sections. He outlined that people who have family members buried in Drumcliff are “in a very, very bad way and are very distraught at the layout of the graveyard.” He said, “Those who have people buried in the new section feel very much they have been forgotten about and left out. If you look at the whole row of …

CLARECASTLE’S Councillor Paul Murphy said he is “honoured” to don the chain of office after his election as the new Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District. The occasion, usually marked with handshakes and hugs of congratulations, was a very different affair this year with social distancing due to Covid-19. Taking the helm of the Ennis Municipal District meeting this week following his election the councillor admitted “Not being able to shake hands, it’s surreal. Hopefully going forward Covid will die down and we can revert back to what we normally are. I miss the warmth of a handshake or an embrace from a friend.” He paid tribute to his predecessor Councillor Johnny Flynn describing him as a “shining beacon for the town, a real townie”. He outlined that there is a lot of work ongoing within the district, including the development of the mobility plan which has proved valuable in adapting to Covid-19. Councillor Murphy believes that the strives made …

THE time-line for awarding the contract to build the new multimillion Euro Killaloe Bridge and Bypass has slipped slightly from its original target, The Champion has learned, with the likelihood that the three-part project may not now be completed until 2024. Works to progress the project, which also includes improvements to the R494, have continued despite Covid-19 restrictions, with the Project Steering Group, lead by Clare County Council, meeting remotely in April and May. In response to a query from The Champion, the local authority has outlined a time-frame indicating it expects the contract for the main works to be awarded at the end of March next year, with construction taking a further three years to complete. The most recent update available previously was as briefing to members of the Killaloe Municipal District which indicated that contracts would be awarded before the end of 2020, with a target completion date of late 2022. “The Project Team … are close to …

DISAPPOINTMENT has been expressed in Springfield, Clonlara, after a further delay with relief works designed to save residents from a repeat of devastating flooding that has forced them out of their homes multiple times over the last 15 years. Planning for flood protection works began in early 2016, after more than 10 families had to evacuate their properties and a further five had their access roads completely cut off. Since then, the proposed €1.2 million works have hit a number of hurdles, and it has now been confirmed that rather than going through an internal local authority adjudication process, the plans will now go to An Bord Pleanála. Senior Engineer with Clare County Council, Seán Lenihan told authority members this month that the nature of the works could not be contained, as had been anticipated, within a Part Eight application. “They require an EIAR (Environmental Impact Assessment Report) and an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement),” he explained, adding that the application …

EXTREME thunder showers last Monday evening have prompted a ban on swimming in Ballyalla Lake, because of a spike in bacteria levels. Clare County Council and the HSE have issued the temporary swimming ban, which will remain in place until levels of bacteria drop. “The situation is being monitored regularly,” a council statement said. “The probation on swimming will be removed when the bacterial levels recede to acceptable levels. The elevated bacterial levels are as result of the extreme thunder showers which took place on Monday evening last.”