User:jackieboland Date:24/04/2006 Time:22:42:52 Edition:25/04/2006 Examiner Live MPXX-2504 Page:11 Color:

11LOCAL NEWSIrish ExaminerTuesday 25.04.2006

XX2 - V1

Massive undertaking will collect data on water standards

New project toassess quality

of naturalwaterways

Cork County Council environmental officers Billy Sextonand Séamus O’Brien carry out a water quality test byidentifying insect life in the Shournagh River, as part of aSmall Stream Rapid Screening Programme in the SouthWest River Basin District, and, right, some of the insectlife they discovered. Picture Neil Danton/News Digital

by Eoin English

A MASSIVE project to as-sess the quality of and thensafeguard Ireland’s naturalwaterways will be unveiledtonight.

People were invited to at-tend the first of a series ofinformation meetings acrossthe south west at which de-tails of the nationwide pro-ject — which aims is tokick-start the implementa-tion of the EU’s WaterFramework Directive —will be outlined.

The South Western RiverBasin District project,which is being run in thisregion by Cork CountyCouncil, in association withlead consultants, Pettit Engi-neering, will cover all six lo-cal authorities in the area.

Project coordinator, SeánÓ Breasail, said it was anenormous piece of work.

“It involves the collectionof a colossal amount of ex-isting information on waterquality from all agencies,” hesaid.

Data will be collected onall the rivers, lakes, estuaries,groundwater sources andcoastal waters out to onenautical mile from Kerry,Cork city and county, partsof Waterford, Limerick, andSouth Tipperary.

It is hoped the project willalso fill certain informationgaps and lead eventually to

the drawing up of a draftmanagement plan for the re-gion’s waterways.

This will then be handedover to the local authoritiesfor implementation.

Mr Ó Breasail said re-search has been underwayfor about a year.

“A lot of our waters are ofreasonable to mediocre stan-dards,” he said.

But efforts must be madeto prevent the deteriorationof Ireland’s water quality, hesaid.

Some estuaries are beingenriched by excessive nitro-gen, he said.

The Lakes of Killarney arealso under significant pres-sure from nutrients, he said.

“Previous studies showthat measures need to beimplemented to tackle thissituation but none havebeen implemented. Butthere is legislative backupthere now.”

The project does not,however, deal with the wa-ter being supplied to con-sumer s.

Mr Ó Breasail said thereare many demands on ourwaters from housing devel-opment, industry, agricul-ture, forestry and industry.

“We draw from our wa-ters for drinking and wash-ing, we fish and swim inthem, our industries needreliable and clean supplies,and waters are the habitat

for many plants, birds andanimals,” he said.

“Protection and manage-ment of our water resourcesare not just necessary but arerequired by European andnational legislation.

“In particular we mustachieve at least good qualitystandard for all waters by2015 and maintain highquality waters where theye x i s t .”

Public meetingsTo n i g h t : Youghal TownHall at 8pmTo m o r r o w : Quality Ho-tel, Clonakilty at 8pmMay 2: Cork City Coun-cil's Lifetime Lab, LeeRoad, Cork at 8pmMay 9 Hibernian Hotel,Mallow at 8pm

Council officials have so far been unable to enter into talks with the owner of Vernamount, above, house but are hopingto do so within the next three weeks. Picture: Michael MacSweeney/Provision

Owner of historichouse ‘failing to

preserve it’by Sean O’Riordan

CORK County Councilwill take legal action if theowner of a well-known his-toric building doesn’t takesteps to preserve it.

Council officials have sofar been unable to enter intotalks with the owner ofVernamount house inFrankfield, Douglas, butthey are hoping to do sowithin the next threewe e k s .

If that fails, however, theywill take enforcement pro-ceedings.

This could lead to thecouncil moving in, doingthe work and then billingthe owner or, alternatively,acquiring the propertythrough a Compulsory Pur-chase Order (CPO).

The issue was highlightedyesterday by Cllr Peter Kelly(FG) who said the historichouse, built in the 1780s bySir Henry Brown Hayes,was in a very bad state ofre p a i r.

Sir Henry kidnapped aCork woman called Mary

Pike and was transported toBotany Bay for the crime.He later received a pardonand returned to the house,where he died in 1832.

His home in Australia hasbeen renovated and turnedinto a museum, but the onein Cork is falling down.

“The building is uniquein terms of its architecture.Over the course of the win-ter, a large section of theroof collapsed and almost allthe windows are broken,”said Mr Kelly, who addedthat he would be meetingwith the Irish GeorgianSociety to discuss the case.

He claimed the owner,who is believed to be livingin the US, was a multi-mil-lionaire, well capable of pay-ing for the upkeep of theh o u s e.

Cllr Deirdre Forde (FG)said the building could belost forever if the councild e l aye d .

“I would like to see itbeing developed as a pivotalcommunity building. I’d liketo see the council exploringsome kind of PPP (Public

Private Partnership) andrescue it,” she said.

The council’s conserva-tion officer has recommend-ed that notice be served onthe owner.

However, county managerMaurice Moloney felt itwould be better if talkscould be initiated first and ifthat did not work then hewould begin proceedings.

The council’s director ofplanning John O’Neill saidan application was made in1997 to turn the house intoa hotel/apartment complex,but this had been refused.

Mr Moloney said that ifpositive talks didn’t takeplace with the owner and ifthe person was found to bewell off, then the councilwould initiate proceedings.

Gardaí eager totrace murderedman’s footstepsby Neans McSweeney

South-EastCor respondent

GARDAÍ probing the mur-der of a 60-year-old stonemason at his flat in Water-ford city centre are particu-larly anxious to speak toanyone who might haveseen the man betweenMarch 7 and 13.

Superintendent DaveSheahan, who is leading theinvestigation, said the teamprobing the violent deathare particularly anxious totrace anyone who mighthave come into contact withthe deceased in the week ortwo before St Patrick’swe e ke n d .

“We have not had anynew information to date onMr Purcell’s last move-ments,” he said.

“The last reported sitingof him was on Tuesday,March 7, when he collecteda library book from TheCounty Library at LadyLane in the city.

“We believe the datesfrom then up to March 13could be critical and wewould appeal to anyonewho saw him on those datesto come forward.”

The 60-year-old wasfound dead with wounds tothe neck in a flat in aconverted house at 14Henrietta Street in Water-ford city late on Fridayeve n i n g .

The grim find was madeby a friend who had notseen him in three weeks,Superintendent Sheahansaid.

The deceased was about5ft 9” in height, of slightbuild, had a moustache andwas balding.

No funeral arrangementshave yet been confirmed.

Mr Purcell, who wassingle, was originally fromCuffsgrange, a village on theClonmel approach toK i l ke n ny.Anybody with information is askedto contact Waterford Gardaí at051-305335

John Cummins: ‘The pur-pose of tonight’s meeting isto formulate a plan to high-light the Government’s fail-ure to implement the rec-ommendations in the JointOireachtas report and par-ticularly the recommenda-tion which advises thatphone masts are not locat-ed near schools, hospitalsor crèches.’

by Eoin English

MOBILE phone masts arestill being erected close toschools, hospitals and crèch-es almost a year afteran Oireachtas committeerecommended a change inplanning guidelines.

A lobby group fighting forsafer telecommunicationssystems in Ireland will raisethis and other concernsabout mobile phone masts ata public meeting inLimerick tonight.

The Better Environmentand Safer Telecommunica-tions (BEST) group saidconcerns are mountingabout the increasing numberof planning applications forphone masts in the heart ofcommunities nationwide.

BEST chairman JohnCummins encouraged othergroups campaigning againstmobile phone masts to joinBEST in raising their con-cerns on the national stage.

“The purpose of tonight’smeeting is to formulate aplan to highlight the Gov-ernment’s failure to imple-ment the recommendationsin the Joint Oireachtasreport and particularly therecommendation whichadvises that phone masts arenot located near schools,health centres, hospitals andcrèches,” he said.

The Joint OireachtasCommittee on Communi-cations, Marine and NaturalResources issued the reportin June last year on non-ion-ising radiation from mobile

phone handsets and masts.Committee chairman

Noel O’Flynn said heaccepted that some peopleliving near masts do sufferfrom ill-health.

“But our job is to makerecommendations, not tomake policy,” he said.

“There is still no scientificevidence that there is adanger so we recommendeda precautionary approach.”

One of the recommenda-tions stated “that planningguidelines and planning

exemptions be examinedwith a view to ensuring thatno ‘electromagnetic emis-sions’ or ‘radio frequencyemissions’ emitting equip-ment be permitted to besited near health centres,schools or other sensitivesites such as playgrounds orpitches etc”.

Bur Mr Cummins said thisrecommendation is beingignored by local authorities.

“Glin NS in Limerick andtwo schools in Cahir arefighting against masts near

their premises,” he said.The Government has set

up a cross-party implemen-tation group to look at theissue of non-ionisationradiation. It is expected toreport later this year.

Mr Cummins said emis-sions from mobile phonemasts in Ireland are muchhigher than those in otherEuropean countries likeItaly, Austria, Switzerlandand Hungary.

“We are calling on allgroups and individuals whohave concerns about the ad-verse health effects associat-ed with radiation emissionsfrom phone masts to attendthis meeting,” he said

The meeting takes place atthe South Court Hotel,Limerick, at 8pm tonight.

Mobile phone mastrecommendation

being ignored

Councillors oppose plansfor park and ride facility

by Eoin English

POLITICIANS have unitedto fight controversial plansto build Cork’s second parkand ride facility on agreenfield site on the city’snor thside.

Five city councillors havefollowed previous calls bytwo northside TDs —Bernard Allen (FG) andNoel O’Flynn (FF) — toscrap council plans to buildthe facility on the TinkersCross site in Mayfield.

The country’s first parkand ride facility was devel-oped at Black Ash off theKinsale Road roundaboutjust over three years ago.

The profit-making servicewon a public service award amonth ago.

However, in a jointmotion put forward at lastnight’s city council meeting,

the five north-east wardcouncillors — Mairín Quill(PD), Tim Brosnan (FF),John Kelleher (Labour),Annette Spillane (SF) andDara Murphy (FG) — calledon city manager Joe Gavinto acknowledge that theTinkers Cross site is “bothunsuitable and unaccept-able” for the city’s secondpark and ride.

Ms Quill said there is anagreed need for a park andride on the city’s northside.

However, she said coun-cillors want Mr Gavin toidentify a “suitable andacceptable alternative site”to service.

They also called on himto agree to develop thegreen space at Tinkers Crossfor recreational purposes.

Mr O’Flynn said hewelcomed the move by thelocal councillors.

Building a bus-based parkand ride at Tinkers Crossflies in the face of the CorkArea Strategic Plan (CASP),he said.

“The CASP strategy callsfor bus-based park and ridesat the existing Black Ashsite, in Carrigaline and inBishopstown,” he said.

“CASP calls for rail-basedpark and rides at Dunkettle,Blarney and Kilbarry.

“The Tinkers Cross facili-ty is premature until theseare in place. The proposedlocation is next to secondand third class roads and in aresidential area.”

Council officials are stillwaiting for a final reportfrom consultants on thesuitability of the site beforep ro c e e d i n g .

“The final report isexpected within threeweeks,” a spokesman said.

Remandfor mancharged

with murder■ Accused to appear in CorkDistrict Court again on Thursdayby Liam Heylin

THE man accused of mur-der in Cork city at theweekend was brought beforeCork District Court yester-day and remanded in cus-tody until Thursday.

Keith Nagle of 15Churchfield Green, Corkwas charged with the mur-der of 22-year-old GerardO’Mahony at Flat No 5 at 3Parkview, Wellington Road,Cork, between April 21 andApril 22, 2006.

Mr O’Mahony, a native ofMount Nebo Avenue inGurranabraher, was founddead by his flatmate ataround 9.30am on Saturdayand gardaí immediatelycordoned off the scene andbegan an investigation.

Inspector John O’Brienapplied for the case to beadjourned yesterday forpreparation and service of abook of evidence.

Defence solicitor, FrankButtimer, said there wouldbe no objection to a prose-cution application toadjourn the case and haveNagle remanded in custodyfor one month.

However, Judge UinsinMacGruairc said he wouldremand the accused in cus-tody until Thursday. After afirst appearance, the period

for a remand in custody canbe no longer than oneweek, even with the consentof the accused. The judgeregarded yesterday’s appear-ance as the defendant’s firstformal appearance, and notthe appearance before a spe-cial court on Sunday.

It is anticipated that thecase will be adjourned for alonger period on Thursday.

Nagle was not required tospeak during yesterday’sbrief hearing of the matter.

Gardaí initially treatedMr O’Mahony’s death assuspicious but upgraded thisto a murder inquiry follow-ing the completion of apost-mortem examinationof the body by AssistantState Pathologist, Dr Mar-garet Bolster, on Saturday.

When Mr Nagle wasbrought before a special sit-ting of Cork District Courtat 12.30pm on Sunday,Detective Garda OwenO’Connell gave evidence ofarresting and charging MrNagle with the murder.

On Sunday, Judge MacGruairc also requested theauthorities at Cork Prisonto provide whatever medicalattention might be necessaryfor Mr Nagle. He alsogranted Mr Nagle free legalaid and appointed MrButtimer to represent him.