Tag Archives: clare county council

Clare County Council is warning members of the public to avoid exposed coastal locations from this evening (Tuesday) through to tomorrow morning (Wednesday) due to forecast stormy conditions. The storm, named Eleanor under the Met Éireann / UK Met Office storm naming system, will move in off the Atlantic later this afternoon and will move very quickly across the country this evening. Southwest to west winds of mean speeds 65 to 80 km/h, gusting to 110 to 130 km/h., are expected. Met Éireann also is forecasting very high seas along the Clare coastline, including the Shannon Estuary, with a risk of coastal flooding. Tom Tiernan, senior engineer, Clare County Council, commented, “We are advising the public not to venture out unless necessary – particularly in coastal areas. Motorists are asked to be careful when driving and to avoid parking vehicles in close proximity to exposed coastal areas. Any coastal areas which have previously flooded are at risk and people in …

Clare County Council has issued a decision to grant permission for the development of coastal erosion management works at, and adjacent to, Carrowmore Dunes, White Strand, Doughmore Bay and Trump International Golf Links and Hotel, Doonbeg. As per the provisions of the planning acts, any decision made may be subject to a first or third party appeal to An Bord Pleanála within four weeks of the decision date. The application was lodged on December 22, 2016 and has attracted more than 40 submissions from interested parties, including Eammon Ryan TD,  West Coast Surf Club; Irish Surf Association Ltd; Save the Waves Coalition;  Friends of the Irish Environment; community groups and individuals. The decision is subject to nine planning conditions, which include the payment of two separate planning conditions totalling €265,231. The conditions set out that public access and rights of way to the beach shall not be obstructed in any way by the proposed development. Mitigation measures outlined in the …

THE ENVIRONMENTAL protection agency has revealed that a file concerning Clare County Council’s disposal of asbestos-containing wastes at a number of West Clare sites remains open, pending further local authority works. Clare councillors passed the 2018 Budget Estimates recently, in the knowledge that the council was still not able to make a financial provision for the cost of properly disposing of asbestos-cement materials from six unauthorised sites in Kilkee and three in Kilrush. Estimates vary from €1.5 to €3.3 million for the disposal of material, which was first reported to the local authority by Kilkee resident PJ Linnane in June 2013. It is understood that the exact cost will depend on whether the council has to remove all this material or whether it is allowed to remediate the different sites. Asbestos waste material disposal is governed by legal requirements and the requirements of the HSA and the EPA. Responding to Clare Champion queries, the EPA outlined that it has a …

IN a submission to Clare County Council, relating to the further information supplied to the local authority by Trump International Golf Links regarding their planning application for coastal erosion management works, An Taisce claims that the information has not adequately addressed the ecological issues with the application. Clare County Council is due to give a decision on December 21 on the planning application, which seeks to obtain permission to construct coastal projection works on Doughmore Beach. In recent years, the resort has been hit by a number of instances of flooding. “This is largely because they are erroneously conflating the erosion of the dune frontage, as a result of the golf course stopping the dunes’ movement with the natural erosion associated with normal dune dynamics. That, in turn, has led them to claim that the do-nothing scenario will be ‘profoundly detrimental’ to the dune habitats. So the premise of all of their arguments, that the proposed walls will help the …

Details of a village enhancement strategy for Doolin will be outlined at a public meeting on Thursday night next. Bucholz McEvoy Architects, on behalf of Clare County Council and the strategy design team, will present the final plan, which seeks to enhance the public realm of Doolin, at a meeting in Hotel Doolin. Among the enhancement strategies indentified is the creation of a Doolin Greenway incorporating shared surfaces, the provision of additional off-street parking and the provision of designated bus stop locations. “The village enhancement strategy forms part of the Doolin Strategic Master Plan and Enhancement Strategy, which also features plans to develop a Visitors Service Centre at Doolin Pier, details of which are expected to be finalised during 2018,” stated Brian McCarthy, acting director of economic development, Clare County Council. He added, “The event on Thursday night is the concluding element of the preparation of a non-statutory village enhancement plan following previous public consultations in June. Over the last …

EFFORTS to have Clare County Council purchase Our Lady’s Hospital for future development are continuing, despite the council’s CEO effectively ruling out the proposal earlier this week. CEO Pat Dowling said that a feasibility study into the purchase of the site, which did not sell at auction last week, found it would be financially prohibitive. However, members of the Ennis Municipal District have voted in favour of formally requesting the CEO to buy the site, while Councillor Johnny Flynn has written to the CEO, asking him to reconsider the council’s position. At the meeting of Ennis Municipal District, a motion was proposed by both Councillor Flynn and Councillor Mary Howard, asking that the chief executive buy the site as an “Ennis strategic project”. Councillor Flynn said the Ennis site is the “best one in Clare” to fit in with national policy and avail of potential capital funding under the Government’s National Planning Framework Ireland 2040. The motion continued, “This strategic …

CLARE county councillor, James Breen has asked the boss of the Shannon Group to throw some light on a claim that the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) hindered efforts to establish a new flight between a province in China and Shannon Airport. Speaking at a Clare County Council meeting on Monday, Councillor Breen asked Shannon Group chief executive officer Matthew Thomas to confirm or deny whether the DAA had “scuppered” a new deal for a route to China. Councillor Breen said he was present in Shannon Airport in 2015, when a deal was signed in principle between representatives of Yunnan and Shannon Airport for new flights between the two destinations. Mr Thomas said he was not aware of any new deal being “scuppered” and pledged to get back to Councillor Breen with further information. Clare County Council has said that meetings that were held with Councillor Breen, elected members and local authority officials, as well as with the acting chief executive …

BUSINESSES in Ennis and Kilrush will be hit by a hike in the commercial rate for the third consecutive year, after a majority of Clare county councillors supported the council’s controversial policy of rates harmonisation. Despite opposition from Ennis councillors and Kilrush Councillor Ian Lynch, rates harmonisation was supported by 17 votes to eight. Councillors also voted to approve the 2018 Budget Estimates by 17 votes to eight, after a two and a half hour meeting. Councillor Pat Hayes proposed the adoption of the estimates and this was seconded by Councillor Joe Cooney. According to the council, the latest increase amounts to 2.66% in Ennis in the annual rateable value and 3.94% in Kilrush. Chief executive officer Pat Dowling outlined that the Local Government Reform Act 2014 set out a process whereby the differences in rates multipliers between the former towns and the former county area have to be eliminated over time. This process commenced in 2016. At the same …