COUNCILLOR CALLS FOR MAST CO-LOCATION

On foot of concerns of local people in the area Cllr Liam O’Doherty has called on Vodafone to co-locate a proposed new mast on one of the other 11 masts in the Mitchelstown area.

“All that can be done is to follow the proper planning procedure, but I would like to see Vodafone use one of the other masts instead of building a new one”, Cllr O’Doherty told The Avondhu this week.

With more than 11 mobile phone masts already in the Mitchelstown area, plans for a new 30-metre mast for Vodafone are continuing despite objections from residents.

A planning application for the mast has been lodged and a spokesperson for Vodafone confirmed, “Vodafone has applied to Cork County Council for planning permission to build a 30 metre lattice steel tower in agricultural lands in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork. This base station is essential to provide coverage on the east side of Mitchelstown and to business customers and emergency services on the new M8 bypass. It is also designed to provide enhanced coverage to existing and future residential developments in the area.”

Residents have already held meetings to voice their objections, and one concerned local, who lives in the area where the mast is proposed for erection, told The Avondhu, “We are concerned for our children’s health. Can Vodafone guarantee that my family and I will not suffer any health problems as a result of having the mast sited there?”

Objections to the proposed mast at Ballinamona near Mitchelstown must be lodged at the County Hall planning offices by Thursday next, February 5.

GREEN LIGHT FOR WORK START ON €600,000 ALL WEATHER PITCH

Workers are expected to begin on-site development of a new €600,000 all-weather pitch in Fermoy within weeks following the signing of contracts at Loreto Secondary School this week.

The contractor is confident of having work completed by June in order to have the facility fully operational for autumn and winter 2009. The all weather pitch will be located on the grounds of Loreto Secondary School and local schools can avail of the facility by arrangememt.

The much heralded facility will also be available for rent to local clubs and individuals at other hours. It will be run on a not for profit basis and the income from the pitch will be used to support the running cost and maintenance of the facility.

A full sized hockey pitch with flood lighting, the all weather facility can be divided into four sections to facilitate multiple uses at the same time.

At the contract signing ceremony in Loreto Secondary School Tom Collier, chairman of the pitch committee expressed his delight that the project was now approaching its final stages following three years of hard work to bring the idea to fruition.

He paid tribute to the other members of the committee, the people of Fermoy who supported the fundraising activities, the commercial sponsors of the pitch, Fermoy Hockey Club and the Loreto Order, school principal, teaching staff and parents of Loreto school for the use of their grounds.

Funding for the ambitious project has been financed by a National Lottery grant of €200,000 with most of the balance raised from fundraising activities over the past two years.

The local funds were raised through a combination of sales of €100 tickets for a monster raffle, rental of advertising hoardings on the pitch sideline and donations from individual members of the community. Cork County Council and Cork VEC also gave financial support to the project.

The committee would like to express their thanks to local politicians and all those who supported them. The level of local support for the project made a significant impact towards the positive outcome of the lottery application.

M.E.P. DENIES FAILURE TO SUPPORT FARMERS

A local member of the Irish Farmers Association has accused Brian Crowley MEP of failing to support the agricultural sector.

John Magner, secretary of the Castletownroche, Killavullen and Shanballymore branch of the IFA this week contacted The Avondhu to express his disappointment at what he sees as inaction on Mr Crowley’s part to help local farmers.

“As an MEP he has a duty to represent all sections of society. From our perspective we in farming are very disappointed with the level of support we have received from him so far. He has refused to come to any meeting we have invited him to attend,” Mr Magner said.

“We have concerns over pesticide directives, nitrate directives and water directives but as far as we can see Mr Crowley is selective in what sectors get his support; agriculture needs it too.”

Speaking to The Avondhu Brian Crowley refuted the claims, insisting that his record on supporting agriculture ‘stands for itself.’

“I have worked for Irish farmers at a local and national level. Every weekend I meet individual farmers and help on individual cases and my record of support to farmers is top class. At every stage I am assisting farming,” the Fianna Fail MEP said.

Mr Crowley explained that he had received an invitation to a meeting from Mr Magner’s branch of the IFA but was not in a position to attend the gathering, which was held on a Thursday night, due to prior engagements in Brussels that day.

“Mr Magner may have his own reasons for this criticism but I totally object to any suggestions that I have done nothing to assist farmers. I have done everything I can at every stage on pesticide directives, nitrate directives and other issues such as opening the beef market following the BSE scare and the sheep market.

“He may have his individual reasons but I did speak to Mr Magner to explain why I would not be able to attend his meeting, however he seemed to be of the opinion that as other MEPs were there I should have been too. Unfortunately I had meetings organised that morning where I represented the interests of fishermen in West Cork and Kerry,” Mr Crowley explained.

ELECTION CANDIDATE ‘DISMAYED’ OVER SCHOOL FUNDING SNUB

- ‘Rathcormac school building that has been there since 1948’ -

Fine Gael Fermoy electoral area local election candidate Patrick O’ Driscoll has expressed his dismay that Rathcormac NS and Glenville NS have once again been ignored by the Minister for Education in their attempt to secure funding for the construction of new schools.

Last Friday the Minister for Education announced a new list of schools that will receive funding for the construction of new schools or extensions.

Speaking to The Avondhu Patrick said, “It is frustrating to see Rathcormac and Glenville left out again. These two villages have seen a substantial growth in population over the last number of years, resulting in a growth in demand for school places. It is unacceptable that children are still being educated in sub-standard facilities, especially when it should have been expected that Rathcormac and Glenville would need new classrooms to cope with a growing population.

"Why is it that we always seem to be playing catch-up in providing services to people?” Patrick has asked the Fine Gael spokesperson on Education, Brian Hayes TD, to seek clarification from the Minister for Education Batt O’ Keeffe as to when Rathcormac and Glenville will be granted funding for the new schools.

“I was educated in Rathcormac NS in pre-fabs and the same school building that has been there since 1948. Since then the student population has grown by 60% and will continue to grow. The response from successive Ministers has been to allow for more pre-fabs to be put in place, at a cost of €83,000 per year.

"This has taken away from the playing area, an area that is being shared by more and more students. Through the work of management and parents a site has been secured and plans have been drawn up for a 12-classroom school. So much of the work has been done but still the Government is failing to deliver.”

Patrick went on to say, “The recent collapse in the construction industry should have been an incentive for the Government to invest in the building of schools. It is now cheaper to get a school built than it was 12 months ago. Investing in school buildings creates employment, while there is also some rebate to the Government through taxes such as VAT and PAYE. The old school buildings can then be made available for local organisations and services.”

SERIOUS CONCERNS OVER NEW PROVISIONAL DRIVER PROPOSALS

- ‘Are we going back to the days of the Black and Tans with this curfew?’ -

Local politicians have expressed reservations in relation to a new set of rules proposed for provisional driver licence holders.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Government are looking at a new set of rules for those motorists who are driving with a provisional licence or the new learners permit, called the ‘Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL) system’.

A spokesperson for the RSA told The Avondhu, “The aim of a GDL system is to reduce the number of collisions, deaths and injuries among learner drivers, particularly the high risk 17 to 24 year olds, during the learner period. GDL systems generally place a range of restrictions on learner drivers which also apply for a period, usually two years after passing a driving test.”

These proposed restrictions will include, zero alcohol levels, a night time curfew, increased penalty points for provisional drivers who speed etc, hazard perception testing, an age restriction for passengers being carried by a provisional driver, mandatory tuition, restricted car power, extended supervised driving and an upgraded driving test.

However, many in rural Ireland have raised concerns about the proposed new system. Deputy Ned O’Keeffe TD told The Avondhu, “The Government road safety committee will be discussing these proposed new measures this week. I think they are necessary but as they stand they will cause hardship. The night time curfew for example, what about a person who works on a night shift and their car is the only way they can get to work? I agree with the zero alcohol limit but I think we will have to modify the programme before it is introduced.”

Cllr John Gallahue (FF) is very much against the proposed new restrictions, “This is not the way to handle provisional or learner drivers. Again the Government is taking actions without thinking how they will affect people in rural Ireland or indeed those who need to travel to work. Are we going back to the days of the Black and Tans with this curfew? It’s ridiculous really. Are they (the Government) living in the real world at all?” Cllr Gallahue asked.

Noel Brett, chief executive, Road Safety Authority said, “The introduction of a Graduated Licensing System and reforming the way people learn to drive in Ireland is an important part of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2007 to 2012. Learner drivers are vulnerable road users and face greater risks and challenges due to their inexperience. Evidence suggests that the best way to reduce risk is to introduce measures that are designed to protect them until they have built up enough experience behind the wheel.”

Graduated Licensing systems are in place in a number of countries, most notably Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada. A number of EU countries have partial GDL in place.

In tandem with this consultation process the RSA is carrying out a study of the way people learn to drive in Ireland. This will involve further research and discussions with many organisations involved in driver education, licensing, instruction and testing.

N.R.A. CRITICISED AFTER TRUCK CRASH

The National Roads Authority must take responsibility for the roads between Mallow and Fermoy and Mitchelstown respectively before fatalities occur due to the poor conditions of the routes, according to local TD Sean Sherlock.

The Labour deputy’s comments came following an accident on the N72 Fermoy-Mallow road where an articulated truck heading in the Mallow direction overturned at Templenoe, near Castlehyde last Monday afternoon. Two units of the Fermoy Fire Brigade, ambulance and garda crews attended the scene.

A spokesman for Fermoy gardai said the driver of the truck was hospitalised as a result of the crash though his injuries are not believed to be life threatening. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

“Both the N72 and N73 cater to thousands of trucks and cars every day yet neither road is getting the attention it needs. The NRA are to be seriously found wanting when it comes to the maintenance of these two major national secondary roads,” said Deputy Sherlock.

In 2007 the N72 road between Fermoy and Castletownroche was highlighted as a major danger in a survey on Irish carriageways compiled by a safety body established to judge the safety performance of Ireland’s roads.

The report by European Road Assessment Programme (EURORAP) highlighted the route, which takes in Ballyhooly, as one of the ten most high risk roads in the Republic of Ireland.

Deputy Sherlock sought funding at the time for improvements to this stretch of road and also called on the NRA to visit and inspect both the N72/73 “As far as I am aware no such inspection has taken place. These roads will cause a fatality - a warning that is falling on deaf ears. The NRA has a responsibility, which is not being met, in terms of carrying out works that will improve safety for all road users. It’s a ridiculous situation in this day and age and I am seeking a meeting with the NRA to discuss the matter,” he added.

Deputy Sherlock told The Avondhu that he fears there will be a fatality on the route if the roads are not widened.

“On certain parts of the road two trucks cannot pass each other safely at normal speed. These routes need funding and when it is considered that these roads are national secondary routes it is obvious that they are completely and utterly inadequate. They are well below the par set by other national routes,” he said.

Statistics in the EURORAP report showed that in the 4 years up to 2006 there were 19 fatal, serious and minor injury collisions on the 15.1km stretch of road from Fermoy to Castletownroche. The report also found that 95% of Irish road fatalities take place on single carriageway routes such as the N72.