Moves must made to ensure the protection of historic landmarks before any development at the Alps site in Arklow's Main Street commences, Arklow Town

Moves must made to ensure the protection of historic landmarks before any development at the Alps site in Arklow's Main Street commences, Arklow Town Council has been told.

Cllr Pat Fitzgerald told the meeting that he wanted to see the Victorian postbox and a historic marker stone preserved on the site.

'I welcome the development but there are historic things there that people don't want left under concrete.'

Cllr Fitzgerald called for them to be relocated somewhere else in the town if the development gets the go-ahead.

Mayor Vincent McElheron also raised the issue of preserving the old castle wall.

'In the wall that houses that postbox, the stones were from part of the castle.'

He asked town engineer Kevin Scanlon to investigate whether the development would affect the stonework.

Mr Scanlon also revealed that the developers behind the Alps-site project had paid almost e40,000 in planning fees to the council, with no guarantee of the project even getting approval.

'It's common knowledge that the maximum fee is e38,000 and they paid close to the maximum,' he said in response to a question from Cllr Sylvester Bourke.

He said the planning application had included an environmental impact statement, and archaological report of the old castle, as well as full details of the proposed development itself.