This article is from page 10 of the 2006-07-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
CLARE County Council has given the go-ahead for a retail park on the northern outskirts of Ennis.
Earlier this year, three companies lodged plans with the council to develop a range of large retail outlets at Ballymaley Business Park.
Galvin Construction, Ennis Industrial Properties and Gainsbridge Properties Ltd were seeking to change the previously granted planning to three large retail warehouse units.
The companies are also seeking to construct seven retail warehouse units and two light industrial units on the 23-acre site.
In requesting the developers to sub mit revised plans, the council had stated that it has “serious reservations in relation to the proposed development”.
Now as part of the grant of permission, the council has ordered that three blocks of the development “should be light industrial in its entirety in the interests of proper planning and development and also due to the loss of other permitted light industrial units on site and the general lack of other industrially zoned land in Ennis”.
The council concluded that the proposed development “would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity, would not be prejudicial to public health and would otherwise accord with proper planning and sustainable development of the area”.
Outlining the need for the development, the developers told the council that “there is a clear need for the proposed development when taken together with other retail warehouse proposals in the area and the development would see the introduction of a retail warehouse offer in the north of Ennis that will better service the shopping needs of a growing population in that area of Ennis”.
The developers state that the “development would not have an adverse impact on the town centre of Ennis or any other centre as established in the retail impact assessment accompanying this application”.
They say that there “is more than sufficient capacity for a retail warehouse development of the proposed scale at this location”.
The developers also state that the development “would ensure that the rural population of the catchment has easy access to a full range of retail warehouse operators in one location”.
The developers point out that the vast majority of existing retail warehouse space is located outside the defined Ennis town centre.