Latest news with #LiamBrowne
Irish Independent
17-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Proposal to re-zone land around controversial Tipperary hotel could stop IPAS centre plans
At the July meeting of Tipperary County Council, councillors Liam Browne and Mary Hanna Hourigan tabled a notice of motion that the local authority consider a variation of the county development plan to extend the borders of the village of Dundrum to include Dundrum House Hotel and the land around it. The county Tipperary hotel has been the subject of controversy since it was announced that International Protection Applicants would be housed there, despite planning and infrastructure issues at the site. Last month, Tipperary County Council announced that they would not contest a judicial review of the Dundrum House Section 5 declaration. A Section 5 declaration under the Planning and Development Act 2000 is a direction issued by a planning authority determining that a specific development may be considered 'exempted development' and therefore does not require certain planning permissions. At the July plenary meeting, Cllrs Browne and Hourigan tabled the motion to extend the village boundaries to include the historic hotel, and that the land it sits on be zoned for tourism and leisure, as well as amenity and conservation. It is believed that Government plans to use the site as a 'super IPAS centre' similar to the Citywest Hotel in Dublin are being examined, and that the proposed boundary and zoning change at Dundrum would prevent this from happening. If the land was successfully re-zoned, it would then be illegal to house IPAS clients at Dundrum House Hotel. 31 councillors at the county council meeting voted to support the motion, which will now see a management report drawn up on how the boundary changes might be carried out. It emerged earlier this year that a contract had been signed to house 277 IPAS clients at the hotel, prompting local protests outside the hotel's gates. The contract had been awarded to a company called Utmasta Limited, a newly formed private company incorporated in Spain in January of this year. The company lists a single director, Ms Ana Maria Fernandez Sanchez, and had a declared capital of just €120.
Irish Independent
14-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Inside Wicklow's newest bar and restaurant with Michelin Guide credentials on its team
An historic rural pub has been restored to house a new eatery, led by a team that includes the former chef patron of Michelin-listed Brioche in Ranelagh, who is also the former head of culinary development for the Dylan McGrath Group Wicklow People Today at 02:00 Eager to restore a once-thriving, historic local pub to its former glory while highlighting the food producers right on their doorstep, a west Wicklow couple recently opened a new family-run, 70-seater contemporary bar and restaurant that has a 'hyper local ethos' at its core. Having had his eyes fixed on a premises in his hometown of Dunlavin for some time, local businessman Liam Browne finally decided to take the plunge last year and undertook the mammoth task of not only restoring the structural integrity of the former Dunlavin Inn pub but also bringing it a new lease of life as The Pumphouse.
Irish Independent
28-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Limerick city's €9m street works scrutinised after €40k spent scrubbing stains in 2025
Today at 04:00 Limerick City and County Council has confirmed that five deep cleans have been carried out on O'Connell Street this year, at a cost of approximately €8,000 each, bringing the total spend to over €40,000. The information came in response to a question submitted by Labour Councillor Joe Leddin, who asked what plans were in place to replant flower beds and clean street furniture on O'Connell Street, similar to the flower displays on the city's bridges. In a written response, Liam Browne, Senior Executive Engineer with the Roads, Traffic and Cleansing section, said: 'The Cleansing Section cleans paving on O'Connell Street on a daily basis. Occasionally deep cleans are carried out by contractor depending on the need to do so and the availability of funding.' He noted that a surge in major city events had prompted the cleanings. 'Due to the large number of major events in the City recently, namely Riverfest, The Great Limerick Run and three Munster Hurling Championship matches, five deep cleans have been carried out on the pavement and street furniture on O'Connell Street,' stated Mr Browne. Each deep clean costs approximately €8,000, amounting to a total of €40,000 spent to date in 2025. Cllr Leddin spoke of concerns regarding the long-term cost and effectiveness of such cleaning with the Irish Independent, in particular, underlying issues with the materials used: 'Having spent €9 million on resurfacing and public realm works, the quality of the paving in my view is not durable for streets, as oil and grease stains are impossible to remove, hence the question, how much are we spending. Follow Independent Limerick on Facebook 'These issues in terms of product use and durability are decided by engineers, with councillors left dealing with the practical day-to-day issues,' he added. On the topic of planting, Aidan Finn, Senior Executive with the Environment and Climate Action department, said flower baskets had been refreshed on Limerick's bridges before the June Bank Holiday, with other planting ongoing. 'A new City Gardener has been appointed recently and she will concentrate on the City Centre including Arthur's Quay Park, O'Connell Street and William Street,' Mr Finn said. 'The flower beds on O'Connell Street, Pery Square and the O'Connell Monument will be completed in the near future.' Related topics Jasmin Griffin
Irish Independent
18-06-2025
- Irish Independent
Supervisor to be appointed to Tipperary cemetery where ‘monstrous' headstones have been erected
Councillors raised issues with anti-social behaviour at Cormac's Cemetery in Cashel at last month's Municipal District meeting, with one councillor saying that 'monstrous' headstones were being erected at nighttime to avoid detection. Speaking to the Irish Independent at the time, Cashel councillor Liam Browne said that Tipperary County Council's burial ground by-laws weren't being enforced. "We have Tipperary County Council burial by-laws and to be quite frank, what I said at the meeting was that they're being ignored. "They're not just being ignored by the people putting up the headstones, which are out of size and scale for what they should be, but they're also being ignored by the council who should be policing the headstones that go in, and once they go in, there seems to be an acceptance by the council that there's nothing they can do about it,' Cllr Browne said. Now, as a result of ongoing issues at the graveyard, Tipperary County Council have confirmed that a full-time graveyard supervisor will be appointed to patrol both Cormac's Cemetery in Cashel and St Michael's Cemetery in Tipperary town. "As part of improving the experience at the Cemetery, and in discussions with the council, we have now been informed that a full time graveyard supervisor will be appointed, who will divide their time between Cormac's Cemetery and St Michael's in Tipperary town,' Cllr Browne said in a post on social media. "As people are aware, there have been many issues that need to be dealt with at Cormac's Cemetery, and it is something I feel is hugely important to get to the bottom of,' he added. It is hoped that the appointment of the graveyard supervisor will address issues of anti-social behaviour, as well as enabling people with mobility issues to use the graveyard more easily. "We will now be able to get the gates open at certain times, where people will be able to get in to visit their loved ones graves,' Cllr Browne said. "It won't happen immediately as there are some other issues to get sorted out first, but it's a good step in the right direction,' the Cashel-based councillor added.
Irish Independent
31-05-2025
- Irish Independent
‘Monstrous' headstones being erected in Tipperary cemetery in the middle of the night
That was the claim made by Cashel councillor Liam Browne at the May meeting of the Tipperary-Cahir-Cashel Municipal District, who said that Tipperary County Council were turning a blind eye to the enforcement of by-laws in Cormac's Cemetery in Cashel which governs the height that headstones can be. Responding to Cllr Browne's calls, Cllr Roger Kennedy said that 'it's not fair on the ordinary people, who have a gravestone under four foot six, and the one beside it has an eight foot high monstrosity.' Speaking to the Irish Independent, Cllr Browne said that council by-laws are being ignored not just by people putting in headstones, but by the council as well who should be policing and enforcing the bylaws. "We have Tipperary County Council burial by-laws and to be quite frank, what I said at the meeting was that they're being ignored. "They're not just being ignored by the people putting up the headstones, which are out of size and scale for what they should be, but they're also being ignored by the council who should be policing the headstones that go in, and once they go in, there seems to be an acceptance by the council that there's nothing they can do about it,' Cllr Browne said. Large headstones are being erected at nighttime, Cllr Browne said, with Tipperary County Council officials encountering a contractor who was putting in an 'illegally sized' headstone under the cover of darkness. "The council did come across a contractor putting in an illegally sized headstone a couple of months ago, and they stopped the contractor from putting it in, they told them they were not an authorised contractor, and the contractor left, but they came back two days later at two or three o'clock in the morning and finished off the headstone,' Cllr Browne explained. "They then basically rang the council and said look, it's up now and ye can do what ye like with it, ye can take it down if ye like but as far as he was concerned, he had fulfilled what he was supposed to do, which was put it up,' the Cashel-based councillor added. Calling on the council to enforce the bylaws that are in place, Cllr Browne said that they should go after the contractors who are installing these headstones. "The council know that this is happening and whether they should be going after the contractor, I think they should because the contractor's obviously broken the law, but they don't, and then the families who are putting the headstones up, as sensitive a subject as it is, if you don't address it, I do believe it's going to get worse,' Mr Browne added. ADVERTISEMENT The Tipperary County Council burial ground bylaws state that headstones should be no taller than 4' 11', or 7' in the case of a Celtic Cross, but headstones that far exceed these rules have been installed in Cormac's Cemetery. At the May meeting of the Tipperary-Cahir-Cashel MD, Cathaoirleach of the district Cllr John Crosse said that the council were not ignoring the issue and that a meeting and a site visit would be held to discuss the issue. 'I have to disagree [with Cllr Crosse] on that, we are ignoring it, we have been ignoring it, and we've been ignoring it in more than Cashel, we've been ignoring it in graveyards across the county because Cashel is not the only place that have complained,' Cllr Browne said. Action needs to be taken on these 'illegal' headstones according to the Cashel councillor, saying that people should be made aware that if they erect a headstone that doesn't comply with the burial ground bylaws, it can be taken down. "As much as I hate to think that it would have to be done, there may be a case, it has been done in the past, there is precedent of taking headstones back down again, you cannot just say look, if a headstone's gone up and it's in breach of a law, that it stays up, there's other cases of breaches of planning legislation around the county, you could look at modular homes, you could talk about extensions, but they would be very quick to move on the people involved, and use the law to have them taken back down again,' Cllr Browne said. "I've had conversations with members of the travelling community, and that suggestion has been made to them and some of them are quite happy with the suggestion that yes, they can still put up what they would consider 'fancy' memorials as they put it, but they would still have to remain within the bylaws,' the independent councillor added. "I believe that in too many cases, too many people talk for the traveller community, and not to the traveller community … sometimes if you sit down and have a chat with the local travelling community in the towns who are long-standing members of the town, due to the sensitivity of this, I don't think we chat enough to the travelling community themselves and see what can be accepted,' the Cashel councillor concluded. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
