This article is from page 11 of the 2005-08-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
A FRESH attempt by a north Clare-based couple to save their restaurant building from demolition has been thwarted by Clare County Council.
The council’s Planning De- partment refused Wolfgang and Sibylle Dietl permission to retain as a language cen- tre the restaurant building they built without planning at Newtown, Ballyvaughan
In a decision on Friday, the council ruled that the bid to change the Holywell restau- rant into a language centre, comprising two classrooms, a study, games room and stu- dents’ dining area, was con- trary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.
The council ruled that the development would seriously injure the visual amenities and natural integrity of the area and would create an un- desirable precedent for fur- ther commercial development on this site and in the Burren countryside.
The decision is the latest in a series of planning set- backs for the couple. In the past year, they were refused planning permission by the council and An Bord Pleanala for the retention of the restau- rant. This forced them to seek alternative premises for their business.
In a bid to avoid having the
restaurant building demol- ished and to expand their lan- guage school, the plans were lodged to retain the building as a language school.
The decision by the council represents a u-turn on their decision last year to allow the Dietls planning retention for the restaurant. This was only refused by An Bord Pleanala
after then competitors, Helen Laftan and Barry Richards of Tri na Cheile restaurant, ap- pealed the decision.
In their submission to the council on the current appli- cation, the Dietls’ consult- ants argued that the proposed change of use “will represent a significant reduction in the use of the site’.
They claimed that the pro- posal “will ease any existing pressures on local traffic and
VAUD ME ASSL MDO MSI OIUUM DO TCM NOE: T ME Le on-site waste water treatment systems will operate within the limits and constraints of the discharge license”’.
This week, Sibylle Dietl told