This article is from page 67 of the 2008-01-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 67 JPG
A CLAIM by religious order, Sisters of Mercy that a housing development in the seaside resort of Lahinch will be a “concrete jungle” has been re- jected by its developers.
Last year, Brendan O’Doherty, Patrick Montgomery, Paul Mont- gomery and John McInerney lodged plans for 114 residential units, with a number of those holiday homes.
However, in an objection, the Sis- ters of Mercy expressed their opposi- tion to the proposal, describing it as
a concrete jungle.
The development has also attracted opposition from residents and the proprietors of Vaughan Lodge Hotel. It has now been scaled back to 94 units and developers’ planning con- sultants state that the Sisters of Mer- cy claim “is clearly not the case”.
The consultants add: “The propos- als are very carefully designed with careful considerations to the County Clare Rural House Design Guide. The site has been carefully designed in terms of plot widths, building height and material choice.
“The development is predominantly two storey with the only three storey portions located carefully within the development.”
The consultants continue, “The three storey parts are located so as to have no impact upon the residential amenity of existing homes adjacent to the site.
“The fact that local people are find- ing it increasingly difficult to buy houses in their home area 1s an unfor- tunate reality. This scheme provides a wide mix of residence types in an integrated and inclusive scheme.”
Meanwhile, Michael and Maria Vaughan of Vaughan Lodge Hotel have also expressed opposition to the proposal.
“The nature of development in Lahinch over the past 10 years has prevented many locals from fulfill- ing their aspiration to live locally. The transient population of summer house owners creates massive pres- sure on scarce resources for a period of 10 weeks in summer and leaves the village without community for long periods in the winter.
“The result is that it is difficult to
ensure sustainable life in the village as house prices are beyond reach and the developments thus far are not ap- propriate for long term settlement.
“All of the previous developments although they were promoted as ‘permanent’ in terms of planning, have all been built or purchased by short-term seasonable occupiers.
‘We have a real fear that unless the nature of this proposed development is altered, the village will suffer ad- versely.”
A decision is due on the application later this month.