Retention permission for tank driving at karting track refused

A karting track which features a tank driving and car-crushing ride has run into problems with the planning authorities in Co Donegal.

Donegal County Council has refused retention permission for tank driving and "drifting" to continue at the Castlefin X-treme Karting Centre.

Marcus Griffin was refused permission for the retention of a drifting area, an off-road vehicle circuit incorporating army tank driving and extended opening hours at Sessiagh Long, Castlefin.

Drifting is when a car begins sliding and that slide is maintained using the throttle. It is also known as power-sliding. The aim is for the driver to get the car sideways, keep it there and use their skills to complete a circuit as quickly as possible.

Two local residents appealed the application claiming Mr Griffin had failed to comply with planning permission already granted. They also complained of noise pollution and "antisocial driving" in the area while events were taking place at the track.

On its website, the centre touts its tank driving package as "Ireland's first tank driving and car crushing experience".

The blurb reads: "Step behind the controls of an ex-military FV432, powered by a Rolls Royce engine, for one of the most exhilarating drives of your life.

The centre offers tank-driving packages from €50 to €350 on its website. Council planners said the proposed development was considered premature as conditions of permission already granted had not been complied with by the current application.

They also found that the proposed development was in a rural area with houses and farm lands surrounding the site.

Having regard to the nature of the proposed development, to the traffic movements, noise and other activities which would arise as a result of an intensification of the proposed development by extending opening hours and types of vehicles to utilise the facility, the planners' report said: "The absence of any sound barriers and certified reports regarding the impact of the proposed development on the nearest residential receptors in terms of (a) noise and (b) air pollution, arising from anticipated traffic generation, the proposal would seriously injure the privacy and residential amenities of third-party properties."

The Irish Times

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