This article is from page 28 of the 2008-07-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 28 JPG
PLANS for a €10 million retail park for Miltown Malbay have been with- Oe hate
In order for planning permission to be granted to the proposal, three quarters of the 32 members of Clare County Council were needed to vote to contravene the Clare County De- velopment Plan.
The council’s planning department signalled that it is ready to give the go-ahead to the plan which will de- liver 100 jobs to the town through the provision of a new Supervalu outlet.
The council has ruled that the plan would materially contravene the County Development Plan which states that the land should be retained for residential purposes.
However, due to the number of lo- cal objections, the proposed develop- ment didn’t have the support of all the six north Clare councillors and
the developer, local supermarket owner John Jones, withdrew the ap- plication.
The development was to have in- cluded seven shops, 18 apartments and offices and the plan was subse- quently revised in response to further information sought by the council and objections lodged against the proposal.
The plan was opposed by other businesses in Miltown with one busi- ness owner telling the council that the scale of the project was so large that it threatened the existing busi- ness ecology of the town.
“*T estimate that the retail space pro- posed is in excess of the entire retail floor space currently occupied by all the other businesses in the town,” the objector stated.
“In effect, this development would constitute a new town centre. it is on the scale and design of a modern shopping centre suitable for a large
town or city but is not compatible with a village. The development of an American-style shopping mall is not compatible with this vision. The attraction to tourists of a bustling vil- lage with traditional shop fronts and small individually owned businesses would be lost,’ the objection stated.
Speaking in relation to the project last year, John Jones said, ““Miltown needs something like a Supervalu and it will mean more business for Miltown. People go into Ennis and Limerick to shop, but having more services in Miltown will make sure that Miltown is a bigger draw for shoppers.”
Mr Jones said his family have been Operating a business in Miltown since the 1830s.
“We have a proud tradition here and we are well qualified to be in line to put in a new shop and we should be allowed opportunity to do it,’ he said.