Tag Archives: Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH)

AN EXPERT engineer has described the causative link between pyrite and the cracking of affected homes in Clare as “abundantly clear, categoric and incontrovertible”. Simon Beale and Associates sent a detailed report on behalf of Clare County Council to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), last month. The documentation, seen by The Champion runs to over 1,000 pages. It was compiled on foot of queries raised in December by the DHLGH over the original report submitted last July to make the case for Clare’s inclusion on the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme. In his latest report, Mr Beale noted the the Department had “requested that Clare County Council demonstrate the link between the building damage and defective concrete blockwork by showing clear evidence of oxidation of pyrite to form other minerals, the presence of secondary minerals and gypsum production”. As part of the process of responding to the DHLGH, five homes owned by Clare County Council, located …

CONCERNS over the pressure of forestry and farming activities on the catchment of Lough Graney in North East Clare have prompted its selection for an EU-funded project.  The Lough Graney catchment, which is made up of eight water bodies, is to benefit, alongside five other catchments nationally, from inclusion in the Waters of LIFE project. The scheme was launched last week in Kilmallock, County Limerick, by Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan.  Managed by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), the strategic project involves 16 partners including government departments, State agencies, local authorities, and local development companies, with an overall budget of €20 million.   The aim of the project, which will run until 2028, is to reverse the long-term trend of decline in Ireland’s “high status” waters. High status rivers are those considered to be in pristine condition and rich in biodiversity and Ireland is one of a small number of EU …

State accused of ‘stalling tactics’ by Clare advocate “A LITANY of broken promises” has been condemned by the founder of the Clare Pyrite Action Group, after confirmation of further delays in access to the defective blocks scheme. Dr Martina Cleary said that more than 100 homeowners in Clare will now have no option but to take legal action and engage in further protests. Despite assurances from the Housing Minister on August 27, that a decision on extending the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme would be made “within weeks”, the process has become protracted. After raising queries with the council about the cost of a technical report it submitted in July, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) has now sought further technical data. This added hitch has sparked anger, with Dr Cleary accusing the Department of “stalling tactics”. “The Department is now looking for additional test data and it’s clearly a delaying strategy,” she told The Champion. “I …