Tag Archives: Johnny Flynn

OUTGOING Ennis Municipal District Councillor Johnny Flynn has resigned as a member of the Fine Gael party he has confirmed. In correspondence to Clare Fine Gael seen by The Clare Champion the Ennis councillor stated he is resigning his membership of the party as “it has been made apparent over the last week that the two current Ennis Municipal District Fine Gael councillors and other sitting  Fine Gael councillors  continue to fully support what I consider to be  destructive Council and Ennis 2040 DAC plans for Ennis town centre. This is despite that all councillors, including Fine Gael ones,  recieved written confirmation last October that a petition signed by 3,700 people was handed into the council opposing the plans.” Councillor Flynn, who announced earlier this year he would not be seeking re-election, said he intends to continue to work and campaign as an independent citizen against the “controversial plans of the Council to hand over ownership/control to a private company  Ennis 2040 …

ENNIS residents’ concerns over “haphazard development” and vacant homes at St Flannan’s Terrace have prompted calls for ‘Development and Design Guidelines’ to be drawn up for the area. A newly-formed residents association of St Flannan’s Terrace have made the request for the area which was built in the early 1900s and has been designated Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) under the Clare County Development Plan. Councillor Johnny Flynn at a meeting of the Ennis Municipal District urged his fellow councillors to support the residents in their call for guidelines to be drawn up under relevant planning legislation. “The procedure for such guidelines is laid out in Section 84 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) together with advice on public consultation, enforcement etc,” he pointed out. The terrace constitutes 46 houses, six of which are unoccupied. “They are quite concerned about haphazard development occurring and some vacancy,” he said. He continued that because the terrace is an ACA design guidelines …

TEENAGERS racially abused and spat at a woman while she was walking in Ennis in an act which has been described as “unacceptable” by a local councillor. Details of the incident were relayed at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where Councillor Johnny Flynn highlighted the woman’s ordeal. He outlined that the woman is from Georgia but now living in Ennis and wishes to remain anonymous. “She never experienced a racial incident until she came to Ennis,” he said pointing out that the county capital has recently been named ‘Ireland’s Friendliest Place’. “A group of young teenagers racially abused her and ran up and spat at her, she was very upset,” he said. “It is not acceptable for a woman to not feel safe within our town, that level of behaviour is not acceptable.” He added he would be raising the matter at an upcoming meeting of the Joint Policing Committee. His comments came as Councillor Mary Howard …

AIR pollution in Ennis has been described as “dangerously high” with levels of particulate matter associated with burning solid fuels more than seven times higher than Shanghai in recent days. Community group Better Ennis are among those voicing concerns about the “health hazard Ennis residents and visitors are exposed to”, while during one evening a UCC professor took to social media urging Ennis residents not to go outside. Green Party Senator Roísín Garvey says, “People are afraid to go for a walk in the evening because of the quality of the air.” Ennis Fine Gael Councillor Johnny Flynn is seeking a report on air quality in Ennis from Clare County Council to be included in the monthly management report, and is reiterating calls for an Ennis Clean Air Strategy. “Short term poor air quality events or spikes have very significant adverse health impacts, they result in significant  spikes in hospital admissions for up to two days after such events,” he stated. A …

DISCUSSIONS are set to begin between the Ennis Municipal District and Office of Public Works on the possibility of automating flood gates at the Maid of Éireann. The local authority confirmed the move as fears were recently raised about the effects increased levels of rainfall on nearby farmland could have on the town’s water supply. However, the council have cautioned that while the automation of these gates is “not impossible” it would be “a very complex process”. Councillor Johnny Flynn, speaking at a meeting of Ennis Municipal District councillors, highlighted his “concern for public health” in Ennis’ water supply if contaminated water from flooded lands was to enter at Drumcliff. He recalled how Ennis households were placed under a boil notice in previous years when cryptosporidium was detected in the water supply. The councillor pointed out that the parasite can spread when animal waste is washed off lands as he called for action to be taken to help prevent flooding …

THE ability of Clarecastle’s coastal flood barrage, built in the middle of the last century, to protect Ennis and its surroundings needs to be examined “urgently” a local councillor has insisted. Councillor Johnny Flynn has urged the local authority to prepare a report on the barrage in light of the current “climate crisis”, while renewing his call that the critical infrastructure be moved. Senior Engineer Sean Lenihan has acknowledged that the barrage is a “key piece of infrastructure” saying the benefits of Ennis’ flood defence schemes “absolutely depends on a fully functioning and optimally fit for purpose barrage.” The monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District heard that the council are in the process of commissioning engineers to prepare a brief for the appointment of experts to carry out a structural assessment of the barrage. Speaking at the meeting Councillor Flynn outlined he was “very concerned” about the historic barrage which was designed and build in the mid 20th century …

AN Ennis housing estate has been “abandoned” by the local authority, an Ennis councillor has claimed. Calls have been made for the Ennis Municipal District to include the maintenance of trees and cutting of wide tranches of grass on either side of the main estate road at Cappahard estate. According to Councillor Johnny Flynn large Ennis estates such as Cappahard built in the first decade of this century are “being treated unfairly” when it comes to grass cutting. He outlined that residents in the Cappahard estate of 270 houses are paying around €9,000 to maintain the area. They receive a €350 grant towards this maintenance, the same amount as smaller estates with less costs. Councillor Flynn argued that older estates and council estates have their green areas cut by the council while private estates have to pay, despite high planning development levies paid during construction and property tax “with little or no services in return”. He said that there is …

AT the June meeting of Clare County Council, Fine Gael’s Johnny Flynn said that there have been issues with some homeless facilities in Ennis. “I have been asked by constituents to raise the homeless situation,” said Councillor Flynn. “There was an incidence of people sleeping outside of Westbrook out on the Gort Road, on the green area overnight. Children were passing in and out. “Residents in Aughanteeroe feel they are not getting access to the management of that facility, they need access and meetings on a regular basis to alleviate fears and concerns,” he said. Councillor Flynn also said residents in the area were concerned that a homeless hostel may be put into a HSE office building adjacent to Westbrook.  He added that residents in another part of Ennis also have concerns. “I’ve had a number of complaints from residents around the Clare Road, where the Laurel Lodge is located, about drug dealing and anti-social behaviour there.” “They believe there …