This article is from page 18 of the 2008-02-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
THE proposed master plan for Shan- non lacks coherence, is flawed and does not cater for the completion of the town’s shopping mall at Sky- Sous
That’s according to management at SkyCourt, which has made a submis- sion on the proposed development to Clare County Council.
SkyCourt says that if the master plan is not amended, it could become redundant as a planning tool to guide developers, local authorities and the public.
The submission suggests that an integrated approach has not been taken in the preparation of the plan. It says that the master plan needs to acknowledge that SkyCourt repre- sents the existing core retail area of S)ervepeKeyee
The plan mainly focuses on lands which are located across the road from the town centre. SkyCourt says that these lands cannot be developed in isolation from the existing core of Shannon town.
SkyCourt says that there is still available land within the SkyCourt zone to accommodate further retail
floorspace. It argues that these lands should be prioritised for convenience and comparison shopping until they are exhausted, in order to consolidate development adjacent to the existing retail core area of Shannon Town – qi Golan
“SkyCourt is a phased redevelop- ment and it is not yet a completed project. The submission is concerned that the focus on completion of that sector should not be lost in the prep- aration of the master plan,” said a statement issued by SkyCourt man- agement.
SkyCourt’s submission also rejects the master plan proposal for a large retail anchor unit on the site across the road.
‘In the short to medium term this store can be accommodated within the existing SkyCourt area. The submission argues that this store is not required in the proposed loca- tion and should therefore be deleted from the framework plan,” added the Statement.
SkyCourt says it is pressing ahead with plans. Planning applications will be lodged within the next week for a larger Dunnes Stores and a Tes- co anchor store.