This article is from page 4 of the 2008-01-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
CONTENTIOUS plans for a €15 million park and ride facility for the Cliffs of Moher at Liscannor have been withdrawn by the developers.
A decision was due by Clare Coun- ty Council last Friday. However, 24 hours prior to the anticipated deci- sion, Mermaid Partnership wrote to the council requesting that the appli- cation be withdrawn.
Applications are usually withdrawn at the last minute when developers are told informally that the applica-
tion 1s set to be refused.
The proposal was facing wide- spread opposition across the village of Liscannor.
The area has suffered a population loss, according to the most recent census.
The developers had also made ef- forts to allay the concerns of locals by reducing the size of the plan.
Last year, the Mermaid Partnership lodged plans for the park and ride fa- cility that also included a major re- tail component with a total of 6,322 Square metres.
However, Clare County Council declared that it had ‘a number of serious concerns’ in relation to the proposal.
In revised plans lodged with the council, the applicants scaled back the retail component by almost two- thirds.
The original plan envisaged retail space of 6,322 sq metres; the revised plan scaled back the proposal to 2,361 sq metres.
According to the developers, “the overall scale and design of the pro- posed development has been signifi-
cantly reduced”.
However, a wave of fresh objec- tions were lodged against the revised plan in the last 14 days.
A number of residents stated, “If the development goes ahead, it will irreparably damage the sustainable retail and commercial element in Liscannor which has evolved over many years.”
They stated that “the residents of Liscannor have for too long been subjected to the gradual and sadden- ing deterioration in the fabric of the community”’.