This article is from page 2 of the 2006-09-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
The site – which is zoned for com-
mercial development in the Ennis A MASTER plan has been unveiled and Environs Development Plan for Clare’s biggest ever retail devel– borders the Ennis bypass to the opment on lands purchased from south-east of the town. Clarecastle man JJ McCabe in a In total, the developments are to multi-million euro deal last year. provide over 30,000 m in commer-
Galway developer, Stephen Harris, cial floorspace. This will include has lodged plans with Clare County 15,300m in retail units; 8,000m in Council for a retail park which will warehousing; 3,500m in the travelhave an annual turnover of €33 milhotel; 3,200m in a motor-sales villion. lage; 610 m in a restaurant and 120
The development will incorporate m in a petrol station, giving an overa warehouse park, motor sales “vilall total of 30,730m . lage”, Travelodge hotel, drive-thru For now, only planning permission restaurants, storage and distribution, is being sought for the retail park in as well as a petrol station for the 48the south-east quadrant of the site. acre site at Skehanagh, Clarecastle. Already, three other retail parks in the greater Ennis area are at various stages of development, at the Quin Road, Clare Road and Ballymaley. All four are set to radically alter the commercial make-up of the greater Ennis area. The Harris plan involves a 10-unit retail warehouse park with a total floor area of 15,300m , including a 4,800m anchor unit with 1,000m garden centre and 800 car-parking spaces. According to a Retail Impact Statement (RIS) lodged with the plan, the anticipated annual turnover of the project is €33 million and its first year of operation is expected in 2010.
The RIS concludes that there is sufficient capacity to support the development. The proposed development will not have any significant adverse socio-economic or environmental impacts, but will be beneficial for residents.
Outlining the “distinct advantages” of the proposed retail park, the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) states that the retail park will have direct access onto the Western Retail Road of the Ennis bypass, the site is of sufficient size to accommodate additional warehouses, and it is located outside the floodplain.
A decision is expected on the application later this year.