This article is from page 3 of the 2008-06-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
THREE prominent Ennis-based companies will lose millions of euro if Clare County Council rezones their lands in the forthcoming draft Ennis development plan.
In recent days, representatives of Michael Lynch Ltd, Tom Hogan Mo- tors Ltd and T Sheils & Co Ltd have scrambled to lobby councillors to have the proposed rezonings reversed before the draft plan is published in the next number of weeks.
The businesses learned of the plans when the council circulated the draft plan to councillors.
Last year Tom Hogan Motors paid around €10 million for an eight acre site which included the One Mile Inn on the Lahinch Road, Ennis. The land was zoned “local centre” in the 2003 development plan, a categorisa- tion which confers the capacity “to sustain and strengthen the area as a centre of commercial, retail, cultural and community life”.
However, planning officials have
removed that zoning and instead moved to have a large proportion of the site rezoned to “open space” and “flood risk”’ with the remainder zoned “commercial”. Tom Hogan Motors has written to the council seeking to have the proposed rezon- ing reversed.
Separately, the council is moving to rezone land, which Michael Lynch & Co owns, from “proposal site” to “other settlement land” and “residen- tial”. The council only zoned eight strategic sites in the Ennis town area.
The “proposal site” zoning conferred on the Lynch site in the 2003 Ennis Development Plan, stated that it had “significant scope for the provision of retail facilities as it is considered to be an edge of town location”.
Two years ago the company was refused planning permission for a retail park at the site. Michael Lynch & Co has also written to councillors in order to prevent the rezoning from proceeding.
TURN eCemUOUERO MDDOT E-De(GCemm DO Cemereebe(OUENTS seeking to rezone a site on the Gal-
way Road opposite Sheils’ 24-hour garage from “commercial” to “other settlement land” which provides for limited housing development. A five- year planning permission was se- cured for a hotel on the site in 2001.
T Sheils & Co has also written to councillors seeking to have the re- zoning overturned.
Councillors from Ennis ‘Town Council and county councillors of the Ennis and Environs area were meet- ing behind closed doors yesterday to discuss the companies’ submissions.