SLIGO Borough Council could opt to reject proposals for the biggest mixed use development ever planned for the town, even though the authority only last month gave the green light to the project. Under the terms of an agreement reached between the council and developers Treasury Holdings, either side could opt to withdraw support for the 70m project now that an agreed deadline for the commencement of construction has expired without the project getting underway. Callside Developments, a subsidiary of Treasury, is planning to build 42 apartments in two eight/nine storey blocks, 14 retail/commercial units with 65,000sq ft of floor space and a multistorey car park with over 400 spaces at Wine Street in the town centre. However, four objections to the proposed development have now been lodged with An Bord Pleanala, further delaying a project which has already been five years in the planning. The council has now been in touch with legal advisers to consider all aspects of what it says is a 'difficult and complex' situation, including the option of rescinding the contract.
"The agreement that Treasury and the borough council entered into was that in the event of the developers not having full planning permission by the end of 2007 then either party could make the agreement null and void, " says deputy lord mayor, independent councillor, Declan Bree. "Essentially, the council and the county manager are in a position to either start the process over again, or go back and renegotiate with Treasury. You could say the ball is at the county manager's foot, so to speak. Probably they could go back to the developers and say we will work with you, but we want commitments in terms of a timescale for the project to proceed."
Traders are concerned that any further delays to the project will intensify pressure on councillors to change the local area plan to allow for edge of town retail development. People in Sligo are concerned that the chronic issue of town centre parking will be further exacerbated when construction work does finally start on the site which is centred on Wine Street, Adelaide Street, John Street and O'Connell Street. "Right across the spectrum there is a lot of anger over all of this, " Bree says. "This is a key project. Everyone knows the degree of disruption it will cause. But at the end of the day it will be worth it. And now is the time to do it."
"Parking is the most serious issue we face in Sligo, " says Fine Gael county councillor Imelda Henry. "My definite concern would be that when work does eventually start on this development the town will be in complete chaos. I have no doubt about that. It's going to be a mess.
Even as things stand, I know of people from the town who drive to Carrick on Shannon on Sunday to do their weekly shopping. There's ample parking and it's free. That is a very worrying situation."
"There's no question of anyone walking away from the Sligo plan . . . I can guarantee that, " says Niall Kavanagh, Treasury Holdings senior development manager for the project.
"Four appeals have been lodged with the planning board. We have to work through that and allay the fears and concerns people have. We accept that the issue of temporary car parking is a concern for most people. During construction we intend retaining 125 of the existing 420 spaces. There's a site across the road owned by the National Building Agency.
We're putting 85 spaces there.
"We're also applying for a temporary 300 space car park on a site that's a 10minute walk away. The Swan Hotel will be making its 200 space car park available to retailers during the day.
There are a lot of options there and I think it will work well.
"If I can get the appeals withdrawn, I think we can have the 920-space car park planned by Dunnes Stores and ourselves in place by Christmas 2009. That is key to the project. It's what the retail environment has to have."
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label sligo borough council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sligo borough council. Show all posts
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Wednesday, 26 December 2007
Locals tell council to 'arise and go' with new bridge plan
It was a view that inspired a young WB Yeats to pen one of his most iconic poems.
Now Sligo Borough Council's plans to construct its own contemporary icon -- a bold, modern bridge across the Garavogue river which will drastically alter the mystical surroundings of the Isle of Innisfree on Lough Gill.
The famous poem begins with the immortal lines: "I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree".
The proposed eastern crossing of the Garavogue river is being bitterly opposed by hundreds of the town's most elderly residents whose tranquil view of the island and lake will be replaced by two walls of up to three metres high which are to flank a new two kilometre long carriageway.
Anger
And what is a relatively quiet road which runs along the river taking about 900 cars daily is projected to clock up 20,000 car journeys per day by 2021.
"There is the strongest sense of anger in this community, where the average age is 70," said Eugene McGloin, spokesman for the Garavogue, Doorly Park, Martin Savage Park and Hazelview residents.
He maintained there had been no consultation between the council and the local residents before the publication of the Environmental Impact Statement which is currently in circulation.
"Most of these people moved here as the original tenants of these in the 1950's when this part of town was still countryside and they worked hard all their lives so that they could buy out their houses.
"Now they are being asked to spend their later years behind these eight- to 10-feet-high walls with a major carriageway on their doorsteps," he said.
For Sligo Borough Council, the bridge is the next step in upgrading the infrastructure of the growing city which has already seen the opening of an inner relief road and the pedestrianisation of some of the main streets.
It says the proposed bridge would provide an eastern relief road, reducing traffic congestion, and establish a vital link for communities south of the river with Sligo General Hospital and the Institute of Technology.
However, Eugene McGloin disagrees, arguing that a visually stunning landscape will be irreparably damaged.
"We are not opposed to a river crossing. However this is the wrong place for it.
Anita Guidera
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Now Sligo Borough Council's plans to construct its own contemporary icon -- a bold, modern bridge across the Garavogue river which will drastically alter the mystical surroundings of the Isle of Innisfree on Lough Gill.
The famous poem begins with the immortal lines: "I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree".
The proposed eastern crossing of the Garavogue river is being bitterly opposed by hundreds of the town's most elderly residents whose tranquil view of the island and lake will be replaced by two walls of up to three metres high which are to flank a new two kilometre long carriageway.
Anger
And what is a relatively quiet road which runs along the river taking about 900 cars daily is projected to clock up 20,000 car journeys per day by 2021.
"There is the strongest sense of anger in this community, where the average age is 70," said Eugene McGloin, spokesman for the Garavogue, Doorly Park, Martin Savage Park and Hazelview residents.
He maintained there had been no consultation between the council and the local residents before the publication of the Environmental Impact Statement which is currently in circulation.
"Most of these people moved here as the original tenants of these in the 1950's when this part of town was still countryside and they worked hard all their lives so that they could buy out their houses.
"Now they are being asked to spend their later years behind these eight- to 10-feet-high walls with a major carriageway on their doorsteps," he said.
For Sligo Borough Council, the bridge is the next step in upgrading the infrastructure of the growing city which has already seen the opening of an inner relief road and the pedestrianisation of some of the main streets.
It says the proposed bridge would provide an eastern relief road, reducing traffic congestion, and establish a vital link for communities south of the river with Sligo General Hospital and the Institute of Technology.
However, Eugene McGloin disagrees, arguing that a visually stunning landscape will be irreparably damaged.
"We are not opposed to a river crossing. However this is the wrong place for it.
Anita Guidera
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Apartotel plan is approved for former Riverside Hotel
A FORMER hotel in Sligo is to be converted into an apartotel.
Tadhg Lyne has been granted planning permission by Sligo Borough Council for extensive internal changes to the Riverside Hotel, which has been closed for some time.
The alterations to the ground floor level will include a change of use of part of hotel reception to a bar area and a change of use of existing kitchen and dining areas and portion of the reception and the present bar/restaurant area to two retail units.
The 66 hotel bedrooms on the first, second and third floor levels (22 on each level) will be converted to 30 apartments (eight 1-bedroom and two 2-bedroom on each level) to be used as an aparthotel.
The basement, which contains a separate gym and swimming pool, will be altered to include a reduction in area of the present bar store/plant room to accommodate new ESB meter room.
© Sligo Weekender
Tadhg Lyne has been granted planning permission by Sligo Borough Council for extensive internal changes to the Riverside Hotel, which has been closed for some time.
The alterations to the ground floor level will include a change of use of part of hotel reception to a bar area and a change of use of existing kitchen and dining areas and portion of the reception and the present bar/restaurant area to two retail units.
The 66 hotel bedrooms on the first, second and third floor levels (22 on each level) will be converted to 30 apartments (eight 1-bedroom and two 2-bedroom on each level) to be used as an aparthotel.
The basement, which contains a separate gym and swimming pool, will be altered to include a reduction in area of the present bar store/plant room to accommodate new ESB meter room.
© Sligo Weekender
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