Objection to abattoir by O'Dea

DEFENCE Minister Willie O’Dea yesterday denied making objections to Limerick County Council on behalf of JP McManus and his daughter Sue Ann regarding a proposed abattoir near the 145 acre estate which the millionaire bought as a wedding present for his only daughter. Limerick butcher, Jim Flavin has launched a detailed planning application for the abattoir on lands at Grange.

DEFENCE Minister Willie O’Dea yesterday denied making objections to Limerick County Council on behalf of JP McManus and his daughter Sue Ann regarding a proposed abattoir near the 145 acre estate which the millionaire bought as a wedding present for his only daughter. Limerick butcher, Jim Flavin has launched a detailed planning application for the abattoir on lands at Grange. He wants to build a slaughter house a short distance from a 145-acre estate which Mr McManus bought for €4.5 million. A total of 28 objections have been lodged with the council to the proposal and the objectors include a first cousin of the applicant, John Flavin. Mr Flavin said if his cousin’s abattoir went ahead he would have to move out of the area. Although neither Mr McManus nor his daughter are among the objectors, local sources said Mr McManus would support moves to block the development of an abattoir. His daughter and her husband, Cian Foley, plan to build a new luxury home on the estate which Mr McManus bought for the couple shortly before their wedding in July. Mr O’Dea confirmed yesterday he had contacted the planning section of the council on the last day for submissions. Mr O’Dea said: “I contacted the council having been approached by a number of concerned local people, including John Flavin. I feel such a development totally inappropriate for the Grange area. At no point was I contacted by JP or his daughter Sue Ann about the matter and I did not intervene on behalf of Mr McManus or his daughter. I did so on behalf of others. I spoke with a council official. I understand that while a final decision has yet to be made, the council have sought additional information from the developer in a letter which indicates that they will not give planning permission for the proposal in its present form.” However, Mr Flavin, who runs a butchering business in Castletroy and owns extensive lands in Grange, intends to press ahead with the abattoir plan. He said: “This is not the end of it. Nothing has been decided.” In their letter to Mr Flavin seeking further information, council planners have told him that the proposed site is unsuitable for an abattoir and in its current form the application faces refusal. Mr Flavin now has six months to come up with an alternative site for the proposed abattoir. Mr Flavin claims he will only slaughter about 15 cattle a week. However, locals fear it will have more extensive use posing huge risks to the environment from the smell and the disposal of huge amounts of offal. They also say lorries bringing cattle for slaughter and meat from the site would pose traffic hazards on narrow country roads in the Grange area.

Jimmy Woulfe
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