The Turkish firm at the centre of a long-running pay dispute with its workers is believed to be spending over €100,000 building a special house for endangered bats on the route of the Ennis bypass.
As part of the works on the €191 million scheme, Gama Construction is currently building a home for the EU-protected Lesser Horseshoe bat, while it has already renovated an old schoolhouse as part of the works to safeguard the rare and protected bat along part of the 21km route.
The company has a deadline of June 22nd to complete the main bat-house through a special EU derogation granted to carry out the works. This is allowing Gama to destroy existing bat roosts under the supervision of Government heritage staff and put in place over 2.5km of planting to act as a vegetation corridor for the bats going between the two houses.
Gama is not disclosing the cost of the bat-house, stating that such information is "commercially sensitive". Clare County Council is refusing to state where the bathouse is located due to security concerns.
However, it is understood the cost of the bat-house is over €100,000.
Freedom of Information requests to the council for the costs and details of the works of the bat-house have also proved unsuccessful.
Members of the county council have called for a full disclosure of the amount being spent by Gama on the structure.
Fine Gael's Cllr Joe Carey said: "It seems an exorbitant amount to be spending on a house for bats. I know we have to ensure the conservation of species like this, but the amount involved is ludicrous. The public and the council have a right to know how much this house is exactly costing the taxpayer."
This was echoed by Independent Cllr Christy Curtin. He said: "Every item of expenditure related to any public project should be scrutinised to justify the expenditure before the general public. There should be no constraints on full disclosure of the costs involved."
The Lesser Horseshoe bats - which are 3.5cm to 9cm in length with a wing span of between 22cm and 25cm - can be found across northern Europe and Africa and are listed as a vulnerable species.
Acting senior planner with Clare County Council, Graham Webb, said yesterday that Co Clare and particularly the Ennis area were among the most important areas in a European context for the Lesser Horseshoe bat.
He said the measures being taken to protect the bat on the bypass "are necessary to mitigate and compensate against loss of roost sites and habitat due to the works under way on the bypass".
He added: "This is a good example of what can be done by private developers to reduce harm to wildlife when development occurs on ecologically sensitive areas."
