This article is from page 18 of the 2013-03-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
PLANS to develop a 70,000-squarefoot retail development on the outskirts of Ennis have been turned down by An Bord Pleanála.
Michael Lynch Ltd had sought permission for the (1) Demolition of all structures on site including 5 residential units, office block and all ancillary buildings; (2) Provision of a public plaza fronting on to the Limerick Road (3) A retail development and 610 parking spaces.
The developers had said the project would create 300 jobs in construc- tion and between 180 and 200 permanent jobs.
Planning permission for the proposed € 34 million project was refused last year by Ennis Town Council. That decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála who last week upheld the council’s decision not to grant planning permission.
An Bord Pleanala cited the number 1 reason for the refusal of the proposed development on the Clare Road as that the quantum of retail space, particularly the scale of the non-bulky comparison element, and its location outside and remote from the town centre of Ennis as well as the lack of any connectivity with the retail core.
The report states that such a development “would fail to provide for synergy with the established shopping centres and would adversely affect the vitality and viability of the existing town centre”.
The decision went on to say that having regard for the Retail Planning Guidelines for Planning Authorities to apply the Sequential Approach in a realistic and flexible manner, the Board was not satisfied that no alternative site in the town centre or edge of town centre was considered suitable, available and viable.
The Board stated that the proposed development would be premature pending the upgrade of the Clareabbey Wastewater Treatment Plant. In upholding the Council’s decision, the Board also stated that the proposed site is a flood zone and is rated as “high to moderate flood risk” in the Ennis and Environs Development Plan 2008-2014.
The decision was welcomed by Ennis Chamber of Commerce who had opposed the project. Chamber President Michelle Madden, “Ennis Chamber is pro-development and welcomes increased competition and enhancement in the retail offering of the town. However such developments must be of the correct scale and take place in a sustainable manner which ensures that the businesses and employees who have invested their livelihoods in Ennis are maintained”.
Any application to the High Court for a judicial review of the decision must be made within eight weeks.
Ennis Town Council is currently drawing up plans to guide the future development of the site of Ennis National School. The Kilrush Road site will become vacant when the school moves to a new location in Ashline later this year.