Going bats in Ennis

Clare County Council has stalled plans by a construction company to open a quarry close to the E190 million Ennis bypass, because of the impact the quarry could have on a colony of rare bats.

Gama Construction has already built a bat house, at a cost of E100,000 for the colony of lesser horseshoe bats, renovated an old school on the outskirts of Ennis as a home for the creatures and planted some 2 kms of hedgerow for the bats, but the council still has concerns over their future.

The council has informed the company that the environmental impact statement lodged with the application for planning permission at the quarry fails to adequately consider the likely impact on the bat colony.