This article is from page 12 of the 2006-12-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
THE developer of a €50 million retail park on the outskirts of Clarecastle has warned that the retention of one-third of the site to protect a fen area would make the entire project unviable.
Earlier this year, Galway developer Stephen Harris unveiled a €50 million masterplan for a series of developments on a 48-acre site purchased last year from Clarecastle man JJ McCabe for over €18 million.
The plans lodged with Clare County Council by Mr Harris include a retail warehouse park, motor sales village, Travelodge hotel, drive-thru restaurants, storage and distribution at Skehanagh, Clarecastle.
Planning permission is only being sought for the retail park at this time in the south-east quadrant of the site.
However, council planners have expressed serious reservations over the retail impact of the development, its effect on traffic flows and the flooding regimes of the area.
In response, Mr Harris’s consultants stated that the revised proposal had not been arrived at lightly.
Turnover for the development will be €33 million in 2010, the year the project is expected to commence.
“It is clearly evident that the estimated increase in population within the catchment area is capable of supporting the proposed development,” the consultants state.
On the issue of protecting fen in the area, the consultants state, “If an area of fen was to be retained, the exclusion zone that would be required around the fen would be significantly larger than the area of fen itself.
“The retention of a significantly larger proportion of the site – potentially one third – in its strategic location would render the overall masterplan and potentially the development of the entire site unviable.”
Doubt also surrounds the translocation of protected species from the Ennis by-pass to the subject lands.
The consultants state, “The previous owner of the site was not informed of any proposed translocation. The current owner, who purchased the site in 2005, was not informed during the sale of the site and permission was not sought subsequently.”
A decision is expected on the application next year.