This article is from page 24 of the 2006-06-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 24 JPG
CLARE County Council’s decision to place an effective embargo on private housing schemes in Corofin and its continued granting of planning to its own housing proposals in the village has caused serious concern.
In the past month, the Council has refused planning permission to two separate private housing schemes of eight and 15 homes on zoned land in Corofin due to the failure of the local sewage system in Corofin to accommodate the developments.
However, at the Council’s June meeting, councillors gave the goahead for a 24-unit Council housing scheme in Corofin after the planner recommended that permission be granted, allowing the development to connect to the public sewer.
This followed six days after the Council refused planning permission to Maureen Halpin to develop eight houses on zoned land at Fair Lane, Laghtagoona, Corofin.
The planner’s report in the case supports claims that the Council has placed a ban on future housing developments in Corofin due to the absence of adequate sewage facilities.
The Area Planner initially recommended that planning permission be granted, however, following a conversation with the Senior Executive Planner, it was recommended that permission be refused.
The report states that planning be refused due to “the policy agreed between the Senior Executive Planner for north Clare and the Senior Executive Engineer (SEE), Water Services, further development in Corofin is considered premature pending the upgrade of public infrastructure’.
In the decision, Ms Halpin was told that planning was refused due to the Corofin plant being biologically and hydraulically overloaded.
Last month, planning permission for 15 homes on zoned land was also refused in Corofin to Fallon Developments for the same reason.
The Council’s Director for Planning, Bernadette Kinsella was unavailable this week to comment on the disparity in the decisions made between the private and Council housing developments.