Tag Archives: Councillor Cillian Murphy

CLARE County Council has been urged to provide a mechanism to help councillors track the progress on their public representations to the local authority, writes Dan Danaher. Councillor Gerry Flynn has asked for the introduction of performance indicators for each Municipal District to monitor representations from elected members. While several motions have been supported by councillors over the years, he claimed at a recent council meeting no substantial progress has occurred from the executive. He called for a faster turnaround, particularly at municipal district level, in response to requests from councillors. “Councillors carry out a very important role on behalf of their communities and require a timely response to their representations. “It is not rocket science to ensure that what councillors request is acted on.” Councillor Johnny Flynn said it is important to be able to demonstrate that representations from constituents, which form an integral part of local democracy, are acted upon efficiently. Having tabled a motion on this issue …

Councillor calls for changes to dispatch procedures as busy resort left without cover A KILRUSH-based ambulance was tasked to attend an incident in Cork last summer leaving West Clare without cover during a population explosion from 1,000 to 15,000 locals and holidaymakers in Kilkee. That’s the assertion made by Councillor Cillian Murphy at a HSE West Forum meeting where he requested the operational procedures for dispatchers in the National Ambulance Service be amended. The Kilkee councillor wants to ensure an estimated time of arrival by the ambulance to the required location is provided, based on the current real time situation, as a matter of form rather than as a response to a caller request. Councillor Murphy said people working in the ambulance service are becoming increasingly frustrated with the use of the ambulance as a “taxi service”. “If the public were given an approximate time for the ambulance to be on site based on how acute the need was, I …

THE government’s new housing plan will fail Clare unless it addresses the unique challenges facing permanent residents trying to secure affordable housing around Clare’s tourist hotspots. That’s the warning delivered this week by Coucillor Cillian Murphy, who told a council meeting on Monday all the anecdotal evidence suggests there is a crisis in the availability of affordable housing stock, for both private ownership or long term rental for permanent residents. Councillor Murphy called on the local authority to conduct the relevant research to establish the current demand in Clare for affordable housing for permanent residents who do not qualify for social housing assistance, with a firm timeline for the delivery of this research. While Councillor Murphy applauded the vision and pragmatism in the government’s New Housing for All plan, he stressed the devil will be in the detail as to where housing solutions will be provided. “The demand for second or holiday homes is long recognised worldwide as a push …

DOZENS of submissions have now been made to Clare County Council on controversial plans for a serviced caravan/motorhome park at Kilkee Road, Doonbeg, writes Owen Ryan. By last Friday three county councillors – Gerry Flynn, Ian Lynch and Cillian Murphy – had made submissions on it, along with one from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). Others to voice concern include Doonbeg National School’s board of management, Doonbeg Community Development and Doonbeg Residents Group. The submission made by TII said the proposal is not in compliance with its requirements. “The Authority has examined the above application and considers that it is at variance with official policy in relation to control of development on/affecting national roads as outlined in the DoECLG Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2012). “The proposed development by itself, or by the precedent which a grant of permission for it would set, would adversely affect the operation and safety of the national road network”. In his …

Clare hospitality industry reaps staycation dividend as Irish tourists spend more money, writes Owen Ryan WITH schools back and the evenings shortening, the peak 2021 tourist season has ended in Clare. While international visitors were absent again, the fact Irish people couldn’t easily travel meant that west and north Clare got a large number of ‘staycationers’ which allowed local businesses to enjoy a very busy summer. Kilkee-based county councillor Cillian Murphy said that the area has been very busy since reopening from lockdown. “It has been unusual in that there was a short run-in, then craziness and a short run out. In a normal year you’d start in April, it’d get busier incrementally, and then you have the mad summer before winding down in September and October. “This year there was no run in, the doors opened on July 26 and it was championship football! I know from being in business myself and talking to a lot of my friends …

THE possible negative impact of the deferral the new County Development Plan (2022-2028) for seven months has been played down by the councillor who proposed the move. Councillor Cillian Murphy, who tabled the motion to invoke a new law that takes account of the impact of Covid-19, said that the net delay will be just three months. He added that the deferral is an opportunity to final alternatives to national policies that many fear will do irrevocable damage to rural areas. Last week, the deferral secured unanimous support, with some concerns raised about the potential impact on the county town, which will see both its Local Area Plan (LAP) and Ennis 2040 strategy deferred. “Because the Forward Planning team had actually started the County Development Plan process early, what we’re looking at, in real terms, is a delay of around three months,” Councillor Murphy told The Champion. “I respect the concerns of Ennis members but I don’t believe this will …

ENNIS has been described as “a ship without a captain” in terms of its development, due to the ongoing lack of an updated Local Area Plan (LAP). It follows the decision by county councillors to defer the County Development Plan (2022-2028) for seven months. The move has implications for the creation of the Ennis LAP, a process that started in 2015, but which was paused pending the finalisation of the county-wide plan. It also delays placing the Ennis 2040 plan on a statutory footing. Prominent Clare-based chartered building surveyor, Fergus Merriman voiced frustration saying he believes opportunities are being lost. “An Ennis LAP would be a field-by-field plan with clarity about acceptable development,” he said. “Ennis 2040 is a welcome long-term plan, but we cannot lose sight of day-to-day development. In the absence of a local plan, the risks are too high for many developers.” Mr Merriman noted that the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) wrote to the council …

LOW-BUDGET tourism was debated by the council’s Rural Committee this week when members heard that some visitors are going so far as to dispose of the contents of campervan sewage tanks in public toilets. Councillor Cillian Murphy said one particular blog had advice on travelling the Wild Atlantic Way without spending a penny. “This includes a guide on how to dump the contents of a sewage box,” he said. “It talks about walking into a shopping centre with a bag in order to do so. Explain to me the economic value of that.” The Fianna Fáil member made his remarks when asked by Councillor Pat Burke about the experience in West Clare last summer. It followed a presentation to the Rural Committee of The County Clare Tourism Strategy 2030. Councillor Burke welcomed positive tourism developments for East Clare, but raised concerns about the restriction of services due to the pandemic. “We had a number of campers arrive at Dromaan Harbour …