Clare County Council has no record of Taoiseach contacting them on behalf of Donald Trump

Clare County Council has said there is no record of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar having contacted the authority regarding a planning application for a windfarm in Doonbeg. In the United States today, Mr Varadkar claimed he was contacted by Donald Trump when he was planning to purchase a hotel and golf resort in West Clare. Mr Varadkar, who was Minister for Tourism and Sport at the time, said Mr Trump raised concerns about a windfarm for which planning had been sought. Speaking at the Friends of Ireland lunch today, Mr Varadkar said: "At the other end of the phone was Donald Trump saying to me that he bought this resort in Ireland, in Co Clare, this beautiful golf resort called Doonbeg but there was a problem. 

Read the full article @ Irish Examiner

Clare County Council: No Representation By Varadkar On Wind Farm Planning File

Clare County Council says it has no record of receiving any call from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in relation to a planning application for a West Clare wind farm that had been opposed by President Donald Trump. At an event in Washington D.C. today, after the pair had met in the White House, the Taoiseach recounted how he had received a call from Mr. Trump in relation to an application for nine wind turbines to be built close to the Trump family’s Doonbeg golf resort. The Taoiseach, then Minister for Tourism, said he “rang the County Council and inquired about the planning permission and subsequently the planning permission was declined.”

Read the full article @ www.clare.fm

Ennis Chamber fears retail zoning will cause ‘doughnut effect’

THE chief executive of Ennis Chamber of Commerce, Rita McInerney, has expressed concern over the "doughnut effect" in the town due to the negative impact of out-of-town retail centres.

Her comments came after planners with Clare County Council warned a last-minute amendment by councillors on retailing in the greater Ennis development plan may deter, small and medium enterprises being set up locally.

As part of a variation to the plan, councillors insisted that a large site on the outskirts of Ennis would be zoned for a district centre or a large food store.

Currently, Ennis Town Council is adjudicating on a €40 million retail park plan for the site by Michael Lynch developers.

The plan is to provide 180-200 jobs when operational and 300 jobs during the construction phase.

However, a stream of local organisations including the chamber, the O’Connell Street Traders’ Association, the Abbey Street Traders, along with independent retailers’ group RGDATA, have lodged objections.

The proposed rezoning would possibly make it easier for the planning application to secure planning permission for a district centre.

However, in evaluating the councillors’ move to rezone the site for a district centre in a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), council planners stated the assessment "considers that this type of development may deter small and medium sized enterprise" which is encouraged in the Ennis and Environs Development Plan.

The SEA states: "It is therefore noted that any potential development must not only undertake an assessment of retail impact, but comply with all of the objectives in the Ennis and Environs Development Plan 2008-14."

The statement continues: "Consideration must also be given to the increased level of vehicles in the area which may give rise to increased levels of air pollution and implications [for] the quality of life [of] nearby residents."

Ms McInerney said the chamber had fears of a "doughnut effect" in Ennis, where businesses in the centre of the town would lose custom to out-of-town retail facilities. "The town must grow organically and Ennis can learn from the mistakes of others," said Ms McInerney.

The rezoning, she said, was taking place on a site where a live planning application was currently under active consideration.

Ms McInerney said the businesses in Ennis town centre have found trading difficult "but the summer has been good".

The Lynch plan is currently on hold pending the company lodging a raft of further information on the plan with the council.

Irish Examiner

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Plans for 40m hospital attacked

Clare County Council has come under fire at an oral hearing for giving the go-ahead to contentious plans for a €40 million hospital in Ennis.

In his closing submission to a hearing by An Bord Pleanála into the 100-bed hospital proposal, planning consultant Brendan McGrath said the council’s interpretation of its development plan “amounts to a judgment that a 100-bed hospital could be located on any land zoned for development within the settlement boundary of the town”.

Mr McGrath added: “Such an approach does not accord with broader principles of urban design and sustainable settlement planning.”

A decision is due on the plan later this year.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Councillor seeks permission for houses in area prone to flooding

A MEMBER of Clare County Council who had to access his flooded home by dinghy during floods last year, has lodged plans for five detached houses on a site prone to flooding adjacent to his home in Ennis.

Last year, Fine Gael councillor Tony Mulqueen was photographed paddling a dinghy to his family’s home at Cappahard, Tulla Road, Ennis, after water levels rose to more than 76cm (2.5ft) around his home.

In spite of Mr Mulqueen putting in flood protection measures and sandbagging at his home, the house sustained flood damage.

However, the councillor has now lodged an application to secure outline planning permission for the five detached houses adjacent to his home in the residential area.

In planning documents lodged with Ennis Town Council, a consultant acting for Mr Mulqueen confirmed the site in which he has lodged the planning application was prone to flooding.

The consultant said the time of the most extreme flooding at the site was December 2009, but the highest flood level was unknown.

A county council colleague of Mr Mulqueen’s, Brian Meaney of the Green Party, said yesterday the site for Mr Mulqueen’s application was “prone to flooding and it does appear that the plans are at odds with the Department of the Environment’s guidelines on building in areas prone to flooding and the affect such a plan would have on nearby housing”.

“The council will have regard to this in evaluating the application. Any person can apply for whatever they want and it is up to planners to assess the application on planning criteria,” Mr Meaney said.

He added that “there has already been inappropriate housing development around Ennis with the result today that you have people living in homes that are at risk to flooding”.

A decision on the application is due next month. When contacted, Mr Mulqueen declined to comment on the planning application.

However, in a local newspaper interview last year, he said: “I think planners should use local knowledge when it comes to determining whether or not a new housing scheme should be built on a flood plain. One of the problems is that the water is coming into the River Fergus faster and it doesn’t have anywhere to go”.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Council approves plan to halt erosion at golf links

CLARE COUNTY Council yesterday granted planning permission to Doonbeg golf club for a €2 million coastal protection plan to prevent erosion of dues at the Greg Norman-designed links course.

The club has warned that if nothing is done to prevent the erosion on the Atlantic coast course, it would be detrimental to the viability of the golf club.

The west Clare-based club warned that a severe one-in-50- year storm may lead to a retreat in the dune line of over 10m (30ft) and that if the present rate of erosion continues to 2050, between 18m (60ft) and 27.5m (90ft) of retreat would be experienced.

The US owners of the course have already invested €69 million in the resort.

The plan, aimed at safeguarding the investment, will provide for the relocation of the 14th green, an 18th tee box, a sixth tee box, two 15th tee boxes and works in front of the fifth, 13th and 14th greens.

A previous 2003 proposal was turned down by An Bord Pleanála due to the scale of the proposal.

In its ruling on the revised proposal, the council granted planning permission for the works, stating the plan would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity.

A club spokesman said yesterday that the club was very pleased with the decision.

He said: “The works are of paramount importance. One has only to look at last week’s weather to see why the works are important.”

He said the club has made no decision on a start date for the construction works. The golf club told the council that “essential parts of Doonbeg golf course remain at high risk from severe coastal erosion during extreme storm events with combined high waves and storm surge”.

The club warned: “During such events, the dune face may retreat by up to 8m [26ft], causing a very significant loss of dune in a single storm and, consequently, severe damage to the golf course.”

The club ruled out relocating coastal golf holes at the course as it would affect numbers of protected snail Vertigo angustior at the course, which has been a major concern at the venue.

The environmental impact statement states the dunes have retreated by between 35m (115ft) and 47m (154ft) between 1890 and 2008 at the fifth, 13th and 14th greens, and the sixth tee.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Approval for Clare wind farm

CLARE COUNTY Council has given the go-ahead for construction of the largest community-owned wind farm development in Ireland.

However, the project must now wait for a grid offer from the national grid, which could take several years.

The €200 million project will see West Clare Renewable Energy build 28 wind turbines on a slope at Mount Callan between Ennis and Miltown Malbay. The original application sought permission to erect 31 turbines.

The initiative will generate enough power to cover every home and business in Co Clare. Construction of the project will generate up to 300 jobs.

The wind farm will be located on 3,000 acres owned by 30 farm families, who have a majority stake in the company, which also includes planning and energy experts.

The project, which will cut carbon emissions by 4.4 million tonnes of carbon over its lifetime, will also meet the Limerick Clare Energy Agency’s 2010 targets for emissions reductions and renewable energy production.

“Mount Callan offered the perfect combination of wind resource, transmission lines and available land for wind farms,” said the company’s chairman Padraig Howard.

The project is said to be the largest of its kind in Clare since the development of the Ardnacrusha power station.

Mr Howard said the landowners have also invested financially in the company, and it is hoped that local investors would come on board to fund the project when construction begins.

He said this could begin next year if an offer from the national grid to connect to it was forthcoming. The site is less than a kilometre from the national grid.

“Unlike other areas, there is no new transmission lines to be built to service this wind farm; it’s already in existence, but we still can’t connect to it. That’s really the only stumbling block at the moment.

“We’ve been calling on them to take on projects that have planning permission secured, that are close to existing grid infrastructure so there isn’t a major capital investment to connect them, and that have a strong community focus; we have all three of those.”

The project could be subject to an appeal. Not everyone in the local area was behind the wind farm, with a number of objections lodged to the application. Some of these dealt with the proximity of the turbines to homes.

Renewable energy could bring a significant jobs boost to the county, and fits in with the Government’s predictions that up to 80,000 jobs could be created by the “green economy” by 2020.

Members of the local community would be offered preference for the jobs in both construction and at the wind farm once it was operational, the company said.

Landowner John Talty said there was a sense of optimism about the wind farm. “We would like to build on this decision to attract spin-off investment into towns such as Miltown Malbay, Ennistymon, Kilrush and Ennis.

“The greening and decarbonisation of Co Clare’s economy is crucially important for sustainable economic recovery. The jobs boost is desperately needed, with over 10,000 people on the Live Register in Clare and emigration once again becoming a preferred option of the youth of Co Clare.”

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Go-ahead given for €5m surf lodge at Lahinch

CLARE COUNTY Council has given the go-ahead for a €5 million national surf lodge on Lahinch’s prom in spite of concerns by local surfers.

Earlier this year, Séamus Carroll lodged plans to demolish the existing McDonald’s amusement arcade on Lahinch prom and replace it with the new watersport facility.

This would include an indoor “flow-rider” or wave machine for surfers or learners to practise.

The four-storey plan over ground, with one storey below ground level, is to comprise a 29-room activity centre, two retail units, bistro, board rental unit and activity centre.

The proposed development lies opposite the Spinnaker development and adjacent to Lahinch Sea World.

The proposal sparked opposition from the Lahinch-based West Coast Surf Club. A submission lodged by club chairman Dave Flynn stated that the proposed building “is inappropriate for its setting”.

He added: “The skyline of Lahinch, particularly when viewed from the promenade, beach or the sea, is already distorted with development of a scale not generally associated with a small town.

“It is not desirable to further impact on this. We will also query the demand or requirement for additional retail space when there are currently several existing units, including recently constructed units, empty in the village.

“In summary,” Mr Flynn said, “neither the West Coast Surf Club nor the Irish Surf Association support the application for this development.”

The owner of Ireland’s oldest surf shop, Tom Buckley, also objected.

In his objection, he said: “The whole concept behind this building seems to be reminiscent of the worst excesses of our recent building boom.”

However, the council planner in the case stated that “the overall design concept and proposed usage lends itself to a creative form of architecture and gives an opportunity for an interesting development”.

The council gave planning permission having regard to the urban nature of the site, the intended use of the proposed building and the policies of the current development plan.

In its decision, it ruled that the plan would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity and would be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The developer Mr Carroll has been requested to pay the council just under €300,000 towards upgrading local infrastructure.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Permission granted for Sixmilebridge hotel

A small town in Co Clare is set to get its first hotel after An Bord Pleanála approved plans for a site in Sixmilebridge.

When completed, the hotel will employ 20 people full-time while a further 50 jobs will be generated during construction.

An Bord Pleanála has confirmed its decision to grant planning permission to Gerard and Martha Kearney for the demolition of an existing guesthouse and commercial development and the construction of a 28-bedroom hotel.

Clare County Council had originally granted permission for the development. However an objection from a local resident forced the matter to be taken up by An Bord Pleanála.

While no start date has been set, a spokesman said the Kearney family is hopeful that work will get under way “as soon as possible.”

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Council to slow development in 'overzoned' Ennis area

DEVELOPERS IN the greater Ennis area are facing further writedowns in the value of land banks following Clare County Council’s move to “freeze” large tracts from development around the town.

The council’s move is in response to concerns expressed by the Department of the Environment about overzoning in the Ennis and environs development plan, adopted last year.

The department has pointed out to the council that there are 4,500 acres of zoned land around Ennis that would cater for a population increase of 100,000.

The Ennis area has a population of 28,700; official forecasts state that there will be a population increase of only 6,300 to 2020.

In a proposal put to the department and now agreed by members of Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council, the county council is proposing to phase development on lands zoned residential for development.

The council has agreed to overhaul its development plan after the department warned that if it did not address the overzoning, Minister for the Environment John Gormley would be forced to direct the council to make the necessary changes to the adopted plan with immediate effect.

Documentation and maps circulated to councillors show that the council has decided to phase the development of housing into three phases, rather than dezone sites from residential to “open countryside”.

According to the proposal, Clare County Council will allow the development of lands contained in phase two following 75 per cent of lands in phase one being developed for residential housing.

The council states that phase three will only be developed following 75 per cent of phase one and phase two being developed for residential purposes.

The house market is stagnant in Ennis, however developers with land in phases two and three may not be able to develop for a number of years as they wait for housing applications to proceed in phase one.

The phasing has emerged from a series of behind-closed-doors meetings of the councillors where the detail of the plan was worked out.

The maps outline the areas at various locations around Ennis and in some instances, phase-one and phase-two designations are located adjacent each other.

The council does not supply a rationale as to why some sites are outlined in designated phase one and others phase two.

A large site at Woodstock on the western outskirts of Ennis is isolated in the open countryside, but will be developed in the first phase.

Clare County Council is to publish the plans so as to invite submissions on its proposal from the department and the public before the issue goes back to the councillors.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Council allows rail and road museum

CLARE COUNTY Council has given the go-ahead for Ireland’s largest rail and road museum at Moyasta, west Clare, in spite of concerns by the National Roads Authority (NRA).

The proposal is part of the West Clare Railway tourist attraction which has seen numbers treble since the return of a 115-year-old Slieve Callan steam engine last August.

The museum proposal is the brainchild of entrepreneur and driving force behind plans to rejuvenate the west Clare railway Jackie Whelan.

Mr Whelan said yesterday he hoped to begin work in the next number of months on the museum. “I am delighted. It will be a huge boost to west Clare.”

The sole objector is Moyasta native David Browne, who has said he will appeal to Bord Pleanála any decision to grant permission to the museum..

Mr Whelan also faces the prospect of the NRA lodging an appeal with Bord Pleanála.

The authority has a high rate of success in appealing council decisions, and in its submission it says the project is located on a section of the N67 national road where the maximum speed limit applies.

“Therefore, it would endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard and obstruction of road-users due to the movement of the extra traffic generated.

“The proposed development by itself, or by the precedent which the grant of permission for it would set, would adversely affect the use of the national road by traffic.”

Mr Whelan would require permission from the NRA for a rail line to cross the main road linking Kilkee and Kilrush.

He said: “If they allow Luas lines in Dublin, allowing a rail line cross a road in west Clare shouldn’t be a problem.”

Mr Whelan confirmed that he wants to lay down two miles of track over the next two months to Kilkee “and with the good will of the people extend the line eventually to Kilkee and Kilrush”.

In its granting of planning, the council says that no development can take place on the site until such time as permission has been obtained from the Railway Safety Commission.

The planner in the case states that “in terms of visual amenity and rationale for the chosen site, it is considered that on balance, having regard to the nature of the proposal, it would be acceptable”.

The council has granted permission having regard to the zoning of the site, the existing use established on site, the intended use of the proposed building, the policies of the county development plan, and the pattern of development in the area.

The council found that the proposed development would not seriously harm the amenities of the local area or of property in the vicinity.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Judicial review in right of way dispute

THE ROW over a disputed right of way at Doonbeg golf course has taken another twist with the High Court granting a judicial review of Clare County Council’s decision to extinguish the right of way.

Long-time opponent of plans to extinguish the right of way James McNulty has been being granted the review against councillors voting to extinguish the right of way across the Greg Norman-designed golf course.

At a council meeting last September, councillors voted 22 to three in favour of extinguishing the right of way. The move ended the public’s ability to walk across the fourth and 14th fairways at Doonbeg golf course.

The councillors’ decision provided for an alternative right of way to be located a short distance from the existing one.

The plan also involved the golf club constructing a car park that will be used predominantly by surfers.

In his claim Mr McNulty is seeking a court order quashing the council’s decision and a declaration that the council, in extinguishing the right of way, was acting beyond its powers.

Mr McNulty’s move is the latest twist in the current dispute dating back six years, which was sparked by the golf club building a six-foot wall across the right of way.

The golf club instituted its own High Court judicial review proceedings of a Bord Pleanála decision ruling that the golf club acted illegally in building the wall without planning permission.

The proceedings were struck out with no order last October following the councillors giving the go-ahead to the extinguishment.

Cllr PJ Kelly (FF), who opposed the extinguishing of the right of way, said yesterday: “It was inevitable that the decision to extinguish the right of way would be legally challenged because of the clumsy way in which the council handled the matter.”

Cllr Pat Keane (FF) was one of the 22 councillors who voted in favour of the proposal. He said yesterday: “It is disappointing that the decision has been challenged, but anyone is entitled to do so. I would hope that the case can be dealt with quickly.”

The council has yet to file its response to Mr McNulty. A spokesman for the council said it was not in a position to respond at this stage.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Seaplane plan for west meets with 'fierce opposition'

THE PROMOTER of plans to commence a scheduled commercial seaplane service for tourists in the west of Ireland said yesterday he “is taken aback by the ferocity of opposition” against locating in Lough Derg.

Director of Habourair Ireland Ltd, Ronan Connolly said: “There has been total overkill on this . . . We are talking about a nine to 12 seater sea plane.”

Harbourair Ireland Ltd has three planning applications before local authorities in Galway and Clare to develop facilities to allow it land a seaplane in Lough Derg, Galway city docks and the main harbour serving Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands.

The service will also serve Foynes in Co Limerick in its first phase. But Habourair’s plans for a berthing facility at Mountshannon in Lough Derg have provoked vehement local opposition.

Local opposition was underscored yesterday as the Department of the Environment made a submission to Clare County Council stating “birds are likely to be disturbed and possibly injured by the operation of seaplanes in Mountshannon bay”.

The bay is located in a special protection area for birds.

The department, along with An Taisce, is demanding that the council request a comprehensive study from Harbourair on the impact the seaplane will have on protected birds and other wildlife in the area.

Separately, the Lough Derg branch of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland has told the council: “It is unclear how any operation of a float-plane in the area indicated could ever be safe.

“The area indicated is one of the busiest boating areas on the Shannon and the proposed operating area lies directly across the approaches to Mountshannon harbour.”

Mr Connolly said the planning applications for Galway city and Inis Mór attracted no objections , in contrast to the application for Lough Derg.“Tourism is in serious decline and you would think that initiatives like this would be welcomed.”

Mr Connolly said that it was “nonsensical” to claim the seaplane would disturb birds in the area. “The planes won’t be disturbing birds at all . . . A lot of the objections from a factual point of view don’t hold up.”

Mr Connolly said the cost of processing the planning applications and foreshore licences was about €250,000.

He said that it would cost between €75 and €100 for a one day return ticket between the various destinations.

A decision on the application is expected later this month.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Council queries golf club coastal plan

CLARE COUNTY Council has told Doonbeg golf club that it has concerns that its scaled down €2 million coastal protection plan may lead to other parts of the coastline adjoining the site becoming noticeably eroded.

The concerns expressed by the council form part of a raft of new information sought by the planning authority in relation to the Doonbeg golf club proposal.

The club wants to put in place a protection plan to the most vulnerable sections of dune, which are steep sections fronting the sixth tee and 13th green area and the 14th and fifth green areas on the Greg Norman-designed course.

A previous 2003 proposal was turned down by An Bord Pleanála and the club has now told the council if it does nothing, it would result in the dune system further eroding and would be detrimental to the viability of the golf club.

The application states that “essential parts of Doonbeg golf course remain at high risk from severe coastal erosion during extreme storm events with a combined high waves and storm surge”.

Placing the plan on hold, the council states: “There are concerns that to permit this proposal may lead to a situation whereby other parts of the coastline adjoining here become noticeably eroded, and as such impact on the dynamics of the beach, leading to a possible future situation where further coastal protection works may need to be carried out.”

The council has invited the golf club to submit its proposals on this issue and to include any proposals it may have for further coastal management work.

The council is also asking the golf course why a revised layout of the golf course has not been explored as an alternative erosion management measure.

“Notwithstanding that the proposal is for the protection of the existing course, it is considered that it should be demonstrated that there are no other feasible options of a review of the golf course design.”

The council has also taken into account the submission by the Department of the Environment over the proposal.

The council said that the mid-Clare coast special protection area (SPA) is of special conservation interest for cormorant; barnacle goose; ringed plover; sanderling, purple sandpiper and turnstone and the wetlands and its waterbirds are also of special conservation interest.

The department stated: “The appropriate assessment screening does not take into consideration the potential effects of the development on the SPA and its conservation objectives.

“The proposed development, alone and in combination with other plans and projects, including the existing golf course development, has potential to have significant effects on the candidate special area of conservation (SAC) and SPA and on the conservation objectives of these two sites. As a result, an appropriate assessment of the implications for these Natura 2000 sites is required under the EU habitats directive.”

It points out that the environmental impact statement lodged with the application states the proposed development has the potential to affect the conservation objectives of the SAC.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Clare council may 'freeze' zoned land

Clare County Council is expected to “freeze” more than 4,000 acres zoned for housing around Ennis in response to Department of the Environment concerns about “unjustified and unsustainable” overzoning in various parts of the country.

In a letter to the council, the department has set a deadline for it to address the overzoning for housing in the Ennis development plan. It has warned that if the council has not provided a solution by October 16th, Minister for the Environment John Gormley will “be forced to direct the council to make the necessary changes to the adopted plan with immediate effect”.

The Ennis area has a population of 28,700 and official forecasts say there will be an increase of only 6,300 by 2020.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Golf club welcomes right of way vote

THE GENERAL manager of Doonbeg golf club has admitted that the costs incurred by the golf club in a right of way dispute at the course over the past six years “have been significant”.

Speaking after members of Clare County Council voted overwhelmingly to end the long-running dispute by extinguishing a contentious right of way at the course, club manager Joe Russell said that he was “very, very pleased with the decision”.

Mr Russell said he was in contact with the council yesterday to find out what the next steps were in extinguishing the right of way and providing an alternative.

The council’s decision on Monday ends the public’s right to walk across the fourth and 14th fairways at the Greg Norman-designed Doonbeg golf course to Doughmore beach.

The alternative right of way is to be provided a short distance from the existing one, while the golf club is to construct a 70-space car park.

Mr Russell said the works to be undertaken would be done over the winter and would be in place for the 2010 summer season.

At the council’s adjourned September meeting, councillors voted 22 to three in favour of extinguishing the right of way. The long-running row has seen the golf club constructing a wall across the disputed right of way and involved two separate High Court actions.

The club is currently engaged in judicial review proceedings against an An Bord Pleanála decision which found that the wall was built across an existing right of way without planning permission. The case is listed for mention in the High Court next month.

The council has previously served a warning letter on the club over the construction of the wall.

At the meeting, long-time opponent of moves to extinguish the right of way, Fianna Fáil councillor PJ Kelly warned the decision would be legally challenged.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Clare council refuses mast on grounds of air safety

CLARE CO Council has refused planning permission to Hutchinson 3G Ireland Ltd to construct a 120ft mast near Cratloe in southeast Co Clare due to fears it would endanger or interfere with aircraft and pose a risk of a major accident.

In making the decision the council took into account an objection by the Irish Aviation Authority against the development, which was proposed for a site six miles from Shannon airport.

This year Hutchinson 3G Ireland Ltd lodged plans for the development to extend broadband coverage in the area. The six radio dishes on the mast were also required to connect with national broadband scheme sites in the west of Ireland.

The council said the proposed development would endanger or interfere with aircraft safety, the safety of navigation and would pose a risk of a major accident.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Owners of cave with stalactite get go-ahead for visitor centre

CLARE COUNTY Council yesterday granted planning permission for the construction of a visitor centre to serve the Pol an Ionain cave in Doolin in spite of stiff opposition from An Taisce, Ailwee Caves, the Pol an Ionain Action Group and the Speleological Union of Ireland (SUI).

Three years ago, owners John and Helen Browne opened the cave to the public after a 16-year struggle to realise their dream of showing the 23ft Pol an Ionain stalactite to the world. However, in lodging the plans, the Brownes said the attraction would not be viable without on-site facilities – currently visitors are bussed to the site from Doolin. Now, the Brownes have secured permission for a centre, a 30-space car park and a bus bay at the site.

The council gave the plan the go-ahead after Dr Maria McNamara, a geologist it employed to examine the application, found “it is difficult to envisage a scenario in which the proposed development works will impact negatively upon the physical stability of the Great Stal”. In her report, Dr McNamara wrote: “The roof of the chamber housing the Great Stal is 35m below ground level and at a lateral distance of 150m from the proposed development site.” She was “satisfied with the conclusions of Prof John Gunn – one of the world’s leading experts in cave science – regarding the impact of the proposed development on the cave and the Great Stal in particular, ie that the risk of negative impact is negligible”.

The planner in the case said: “While I consider that tourist facilities should be located within settlements, I feel in this instance that it would be appropriate to have such a facility adjacent to the tourism product, in this instance being the cave.” Precedent of visitor centres being permitted to tourism sites in the north Clare area include the Cliffs of Moher, the Michael Cusack centre, the Ailwee caves and the Caherconnell stone fort.

Yesterday, Ms Browne said: “We’re delighted. We deserve the same chance as everyone else.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Officials to discuss Clare 'excessive overzoning'

SENIOR DEPARTMENT of the Environment officials are to meet Clare County Council planners in the next two weeks in a bid to eliminate what the department calls the “unsustainable” and “excessive overzoning” of lands for housing around Ennis.

In adopting the Ennis and Environs Development Plan last December, councillors ignored pleas from Minister for the Environment John Gormley TD to dezone large tracts of land.

Councillors also ignored the recommendations of the council’s own study into the environmental impact of a number of their zoning decisions. The department has told the council in a letter that it has sought the advice of the Attorney General on the issue.

In a letter to the council’s director for planning, Bernadette Kinsella, the department says that 4,500 acres of land are zoned around Ennis for housing that could accommodate a population of more than 100,000 people.

It points out that in 2006 Ennis’s population was just 28,700 and the following year a department report forecast that the town’s population would increase by more than 6,000 by 2020.

“Comparing the zoning capacity with likely population growth, there is clearly a very substantial, unjustified and unsustainable amount of overzoning of land with residential potential,” the department’s letter states.

It also cites a study by the Mid-West Regional Authority that concluded there is sufficient land in the region to satisfy 40 years’ housing demand and that one-third of all zoned land in the mid-west is in Ennis and its environs.

The overzoning issue “has significant local, county and regional implications” and puts forward three options for the council.

The department says the council could dezone some of the land which has residential potential or implement a phasing programme where land outside certain designated areas could only be zoned for development after 75 per cent of the designated areas were developed for housing.

The third option suggested involves a combination of the other two.

The department is asking the council to tighten its “locals-only” policy in the countryside around Ennis, stating that in key ways the wording of the council’s policy is vague. Currently the plan allows the development of in-depth clusters of up to six homes in countryside area and a policy for infill development in the countryside.

The department is seeking the elimination of these two policies and suggests alternative ways of limiting “urban-generated housing” in the countryside.

In a note circulated to councillors accompanying the letter, Ms Kinsella said a joint meeting of Ennis Town Council and councillors from the Ennis electoral area will be held after the meeting with department officials.

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

Intimidation over rezoning claimed

A CLARE county councillor has said he will “name names” after claiming that he and other colleagues were intimidated by representatives of a company that had applied to the local authority to have an area of land in east Clare rezoned.

Meelick-based teacher and council member Cathal Crowe (FF) said he was warned that his “election campaign would be dismantled” if he did not support the company’s application to have land rezoned. Two other councillors also raised concerns about the excessive pressure they claim was brought to bear on them ahead of this month’s meeting of the local authority.

Mr Crowe made the claims during a debate to decide whether the South East Clare Local Area Plan (2009-2015) should be amended to include an application by Zinc Properties to rezone an area of land at the former Burlington plant at Gillogue near Clonlara in east Clare.

Zinc Properties, which owns and operates a “business park” at the site, had submitted an amendment to have a portion of a 28-acre site rezoned for heavy industrial use and 24-hour access. The property houses 12 small businesses, many of which are the subject of council enforcement orders.

At this month’s meeting of the county council, however, the local authority’s legal officer John Shaw said the amendment could not be considered part of the plan as it had not gone out for public consultation and so it was refused.

Mr Crowe claimed: “I was intimidated and got phone calls at all hours threatening to dismantle my election campaign. I got one call late at night warning me that they would tear me to shreds. This is nothing short of bullying and coercion and it is disgraceful.

“There has also been a clear breach of ethics here. We had a meeting in camera some weeks ago where we discussed this matter, but within hours of that meeting taking place people knew who voted and how they voted, and that is a breach of a clear code of conduct. Somebody in our midst is quick to run with stories from meetings. I am taking this matter very seriously and I am considering whether I will make a formal complaint to gardaí.

“I challenge everyone who was at that meeting to name who it was that put the voting record in the public domain. I will name names,” Mr Crowe said.

Brian Whelan, a spokesman for owners Zinc Properties, said: “Nobody associated with this company intimidated or threatened any councillor and no calls were made to anyone at inappropriate times. This is not the decision we wanted, but there is planning on site since 1974 and some land is zoned for light industrial and we will utilise that and consider our position in relation to the refusal to allow our amendment at a later date.”

Meanwhile, residents living close to the plant at Gillogue have welcomed news that the council rejected the amendment.

A spokesperson for the Gillogue Residents’ Association said: “As residents, we all fully support development within our community. Our only condition has been that this should be done ethically, democratically and within the formal planning process.”

Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie