This article is from page 2 of the 2006-11-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
THE Department of the Environment has expressed opposition to a proposed road that may serve a new 42,000 seater stadium in Ennis, citing the location of a little-known battle that took place almost 800 years ago at the 12th-century Clareabbey.
In September, Michael Lynch lodged plans to construct a road-link to the Ennis by-pass that would open almost 60 acres of land for commercial development.
One of the options put forward for the lands near Clareabbey by Michael Lynch Ltd is the development of a 42,000 capacity stadium.
The company has lodged an ‘expression of interest’ in the Clare County GAA Board’s search for a new stadium.
The proposed development of a 1.5 km long single-carriageway is to connect the Clonroadmore industrial estate where the HQ of Michael Lynch Ltd is based and the western relief route of the Ennis by-pass.
However, the proposed development lies within 30 metres of Clareabbey, which the department describes as “one of the most important Augustinian Foundations in the country and is set at a strategic location along the River Fergus.
Recommending that planning not be granted, the department states that the proposed development “is located too close to the Clareabbey”.
The department also points out that the development runs through a second archaeological monument, a battlefield site relating to an important battle in 1278.
The department state, “The development, as proposed, would have an irreversible, adverse effect on the visual amenity and the context of the National Monument and the associated battlefield. This is a green area that preserves the original setting of the monuments.”
The department points out that “the lands between the Abbey and the nearby River Fergus are seen as an area of high archaeological potential.
“The River Fergus would have been an important thoroughfare in the medieval period”.
The department also states that there are several aspects of the Ennis and Environs Development Plan 2003 and the Clare County Development Plan 2005 that substantiate the case for refusal.
Officials concluded that mitigation measures aimed at lessening the visual impact of the road “are concerned with screening and not enforceable in the long term. . .
“However, this Department will be happy to advise on alternative routes that do not impact adversely on this national monument.”
A decision is due on the application later this year.