Green light for Ballina bridge

AN BORD Pleanála has given the go ahead for a new €1m. pedestrian bridge over the River Moy in Ballina.
The bridge will cross the river upstream of the salmon weir and will tie in with amenity and recreation developments in the area.
An appeal had been taken to An Bord Pleanala by Tony Lowes of Friends of the Irish Environment who asked the Bord to direct Ballina Town Council to prepare an environmental impact statement on the project.
An Bord Pleanála said that having considered all submissions and observations made to it and the report of their own inspector it was considered the proposed development would not be likely to have significant effects on the environment.
Mr Noel Burke, senior engineer, yesterday (Mon) welcomed the decision by An Bord Pleanála and added that he was satisfied all along the Council had carried out its statutory obligations.
He added that they would now make arrangements to have the bridge constructed as quickly as possible.

© Western People

Ballina harbour dispute

This from the Western People:

A BIZARRE situation developed in Ballina last Friday afternoon when a security man was put at the entrance to the harbour and locks and chains were put on gates in the area.
A number of people working in small business ventures on the quay were allowed to remove their vehicles from the area but at that stage no one was allowed enter the quay.
Moy Valley Resources have leased a part of the quay/harbour area from Ballina Harbour Commissioners for the past number of years and have, in turn, rented spaces to a number of small business concerns.
The locks and chains were removed from the gates later and they remained off yesterday (Mon.) when the gates were open. It is understood that Gardai were called to the area at one stage.
In a statement, Moy Valley Resources regretted that the Harbour Commissioners had locked the Quay. They claimed there were about 20 jobs in the various small companies and that these were at risk.
Moy Valley said the action was taken despite the offer of Moy Valley to enter into arbitration with the Harbour Commissioners and ongoing negotiations that were happening that morning (Fri.).
The statement from Moy Valley added that they would be taking legal action to defend their rights.
In a statement yesterday (Mon.) the River Moy Harbour Commissioners said it was with regret they had to take certain actions in relation to their property at the harbour, in trying to resolve difficulties which had been going on over a period of years, with due process being followed, both formal and legal.

Windfarm proposal for Ballina

The Western People tell us that a windfarm is in the pipelines for Ballina. A planning application was submitted to the Council at the end of last year to construct a 29.9mw farm consisting of 13 turbines with a 64 metre hub height at Carrowleagh, Ballina.
Permission is also sought for access roads to each turbine in addition to upgrade of existing roads, substation building and temporary contractors compound.
Applicants Joseph, Martin and Michael Loftus, with an address in Charlestown, can expect a decision from planners on the project at the end of February.

Pearse Farrell takes on Ballina

Phoenix Magazine writes about how ERSTWHILE developer Pearse Farrell – better known for his skills as a liquidator – is not getting one inch of slack from residents of Ballina, whom he infuriated back in 2005 with his original plan for a 24-room hotel on the site of the old Ice House, which is a protected structure. Farrell is now seeking to add four “spa suites” and one bedroom, a contentious request considering that this will increase the development by 50 sq m. The Concerned Quay Residents’ Group has fired in an angry appeal to An Bord Pleanala, calling Farrell’s application “preposterous” given the “massive overdevelopment” on the site and one which will worsen the inadequate car parking facilities. Bord Pleanála inspector Emer Doyle agreed with the residents on the original application in November 2005 and also found it to be a material contravention of local planning guidelines. Moreso, Doyle believed the traffic from the hotel would “endanger public safety”. But happily for Farrell, Doyle’s bosses overruled her and gave his hotel the green light. The bolshy residents, fronted by Fianna Fáil councillor Willie Nolan, have threatened to take the case all the way to the European courts. Nolan isn’t the only Soldier of Destiny rowing in behind the residents – Mayo candidate Dara Calleary also criticised the development following storm damage in December which caused newlyerected hoarding to collapse, blocking road access for hours. It will be recalled that project architect Joe Kennedy rushed through the original plans for the hotel to meet a December 2004 tax incentive deadline, a

Anyone notice a change to the appearance of Ballina over Xmas?

This is because the former Ballina Town Council offices have been demolished. Here's how the Wester People saw it ...

THE eyesore that has typified Ballina’s lack of community pride for the past 30 years vanished overnight as a demolition crew reduced the former Ballina Town Council offices to rubble as a prelude to a massive redesign programme for the community centre-piece that will be the revamped Market Square.

For 30 years the squat brick structure closed off the plaza-like potential of a magnificent centre-town open-space facility that cried out for imaginative design, reflecting its real potential for urban planning creativity and Ballina’s status. Now that this brick replica of a Shane McGowan dental disaster has been demolished, the real appeal of an evolving Ballina facelift can be revealed.

Last week’s edition of this paper carried extensive details of Ballina Town Council’s plans for the compulsory acquisition of the gaggle of lands flanking the Market Square and gave an overall dimension to the concept of a cobbled square.

The lands targeted by the Council can be utilised as temporary parking lots while the main square is being redesigned in line with the potential of the massive new Penney development that will dominate the eventual complex.

The last 10 years have seen major changes to the Ballina streetscape with the occupation of the new civic offices, a new garda station, the opening of a town-centre library - which will also house the Clarke collection, now expanded to an historical newspaper archive - the proposed Arts Centre and theatre. Then there’s the commencement of the major conversion of the former Savoy Cinema complex into yet another demonstration of the Vincent Ruane transformation process, which has served Ballina so well, in co-operation with the local authority which has also benefitted from the entrepenurial talents of pharmacist, Jim Geraghty, whose new Garden complex has helped transform one of the traditional shopping streets of Ballina.

Ballina will continue to ride the crest of the retail wave in adapting to the absence of major industrial employment and the completion of the Market Square refurbishment as the crowning touch should ensure the town will lose nothing of its traditional shopping appeal - provided, of course, that the control of the rising traffic streams remains a priority issue.