This article is from page 9 of the 2006-05-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 9 JPG
THERE is now in place a Clare County Council embargo on large new housing developments securing planning permission in the east Clare town of Killaloe.
That was the claim made yesterday by Councillor Tony O’Brien (FF) after the second refusal by the Council in recent weeks to developers to construct new private housing estates.
The Council yesterday refused planning to Otterbury Construction Ltd to build 72 homes and this followed the Council recently refusing permission to Stonegate Ltd to construct 85 homes at Shantraud, Killaloe.
In the refusal for each application, the Council stated that the developments would be premature pending the provision of upgraded sewerage and water facilities for the area.
Cllr O’Brien said, “the Council needs to immediately address the issue and upgrade the services. Over the past 10 years no new private housing estate has been built in Killaloe and these homes are needed to sustain our schools and businesses. At the moment, we don’t have the infrastructure and that must be addressed.”
Cllr O’Brien added that he fully understood the reasons for refusal. He said, “I don’t want people to be knocking on my door in a couple of years time, stating that they don’t have running water.”
Otterbury Construction Ltd planned to construct the 72 homes on a 15-acre site adjoining the Smith O’Brien’s GAA grounds in Killaloe.
“The Council has in place an embargo on new private estates going ahead and this needs to be urgently addressed through the provision of upgraded services.”
The Council also refused planning for the proposal ruling that it would be premature in relation to the identification of the preferred route of the Killaloe relief road and period within which the constraint is expected to cease.
An Taisce lodged an objection against the proposal stating that “a development of this density would overtax the already overstretched water and sewerage service of Killaloe and would be premature until it has been upgraded”.
An Taisce also stated that the development would be visually obtrusive from a scenic route, while there were also road safety issues.
The Council’s Planning Report stated the department “would have concerns that the access road would give rise to an area for anti-social behaviour and would be visually unpleasant”.
The developers have the option of appealing the Council’s decision to An Bord Pleanála.