This article is from page 6 of the 2005-08-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
AN Bord Pleanala this week ended any prospect of a new McDonalds outlet opening in Ennis in 2005, when it post- poned a decision on a new 85-seater driv-thru restaurant until October next.
The appeals board was due to make a decision on sepa- rate appeals by Green party councillors, Brian Meaney and Donal O’Bearra on Mon- Ch Ws
However, the appeals board has now adjourned any deci- sion until October 12.
The board postponing the decision coincided with Cllr Meaney denying that his op- position to the McDonalds proposal was fuelled by pub- licity-seeking.
Cllr Meaney denied the charge, as it emerged that plans were recently lodged with Ennis Town Council in the Lifford area of Ennis for
a fast-food outlet, but on this occasion, Cllr Meaney did not object to the proposal.
Cllr Meaney said, “I was acting in the public interest in appealing the McDonald’s decision to An Bord Pleanala and it would be marvellous if other public representatives were as pro-active as myself.
“My opposition to the pro- posal stems from McDonalds targeting children in_ their marketing campaigns and the applicant of this other Ennis outlet I’m sure would not have engaged in that type of strat- a Ae
In the application by Don- nacha Keane to convert the former Quality Meats into a fast-food outlet, the Council refused planning.
It stated that due to the close proximity of the premises to nearby houses, the proposed development would result in a material increase in problems of noise and nuisance and
general disturbance for neigh- bouring residents, particularly Lm ESA OL
Last year, the McDonalds’ proposal sparked a national
debate on the impact of fast food on diets, after the Mid- Western Health Board’s Health Promotion Department objected because of concerns
about children’s health.
The Department demanded that McDonalds carry out an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) into possible health impacts on the local population before the applica- tion could be further consid- eee
However, the Health Board soon distanced itself from this objection with the then chief executive, Stiofan de Burca declaring that the objection was a personal statement by the community dieticians fesse ileee
A planning report released by the Town Council earlier this year confirmed that an EIS was not requested.
Cllr Meaney’s appeal con- centrates on the health as- pects of the proposal, while Cllr O’Bearra is concerned with the proposal allegedly breaching the provisions of the Ennis and Environs De- velopment Plan.