A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Council approves 62 apartments
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has given approval for 62 apartments on land that was formerly part of Airfield urban farm, writes Fiona Gartland.
Cicol Ltd was given permission to develop apartments and a leisure centre on land known as Dudley's Field, sold by the Airfield Trust in 2005 for over €€16 million.
The land is currently zoned for open space and amenity, but residential development is "open for consideration".
Councillors rezoned the land in the County Development Plan in 2004 to protect it from unwanted development.
The plan includes 62 apartments, a leisure centre, crèche and retail facilities in five blocks of two to four storeys on the major part of the 3.5-acre field. It also contains 136 parking spaces and access via Overend Way.
Local Prepresentative Barry Saul said the attempt to build apartments on land that was currently zoned for open space was stretching the interpretations of the land zoning within the current development plan.
"Serious questions will have to be asked about the restrictions of current land zoning classifications in the county development plan.
"I am calling on local councillors to stand up and be counted and to initiate a variation of the county development plan in order to tighten up the restrictions on the types of developments permissible on land zoned for open space."
He said Bord Pleanála had in the past overturned council decisions to grant residential development on land zoned for open space.
"I am confident the board will continue to safe guard the proper planning zonings in the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown area."
Human waste plan criticised
A Sinn Féin councillor has criticised Wexford County Council for its plans to spread tonnes of treated human waste in the county.
John Dwyer has called on the council to revoke their Nutrient Management Plan, which, he says, could result in up to 3000 tonnes of waste being spread across Wexford.
He was speaking after being struck by an "overpowing"odour at Rosegarland, Wellingtonbridge, one of 16 sites in Wexford that he says the council have approved for the disposal of sewage from waste-disposal plants.
He says local people were concerned that private wells supplying hundreds of homes in the area could be contaminated.
"One of the main conditions of the nutrient plan was that the 2,871 tonnes of waste would be treated with odour suppressant," he said.
Clare motorist dies in crash
In Co Clare a man in his 70s died yesterday afternoon when the car he was driving was involved in a head-on collision with a van.
The incident happened at around 1pm in Killimer.
Gardaí also released the names of three people who died over the weekend as a result of injuries sustained in road traffic crashes.
Louise Blacoe, a 20-year-old student from Firhouse in Dublin, was killed in a single-vehicle crash on the M50 on Friday night at 10.40pm on the southbound carriageway off the M50.
Gardaí at Bray Garda station on 666 5900 or the Garda confidential line on 1800 666 111 want witnesses.
An 18-year-old pedestrian who died after being struck by a car in Leitrim last week has been named as Niall Higgins from Drumshanbo.
He was hit shortly before 3am on Sunday, March 18th, on the R280 at Ballynamony, Carrick on Shannon.
A 77-year-old man who died in Cork University Hospital on Friday in Kerry was named as Gerald Corcoran from Farranfore, Co Kerry.
The victim was the driver of a car involved in a two-car collision at Farranfore, Co Kerry, on St Patrick's Day.