Tag Archives: Clare County Development Plan

The market value of a convent and adjoining land owned by an order of nuns in Ennis is set to soar. This follows the Sisters of Mercy successfully making the case to Clare County Council planners that their accommodation and grounds along Bóthar na Trócaire opposite the Dunnes Stores retail outlet in Ennis be rezoned from ‘community’ to ‘mixed use’ in the new draft Clare County Development Plan. The Sisters of Mercy employed Ennis firm P Coleman & Associates to advance the case for the rezoning of their landholding. The submission states that the convent contains 24 ensuite bedrooms, sitting room, sun lounge, kitchen, dining area, reception rooms and chapel. The subject property is currently zoned ‘community’ in the Clare Development Plan 2017-2023 and the Council was proposing to continue the ‘community’ zoning in the new draft Development Plan 2023-2029. The Coleman submission sought that the ‘Community’ zoning objective proposed for the property be removed and a zoning objective of …

WORK is ongoing on a new county development plan, which will have strict limits on the amount of houses that can be built in Clare, despite the burgeoning population. In the past six years the county’s population has increased by 7.2%, with the amount of housing units going up by just 4.2%. For the upcoming county development plan, which is set to cover the period 2023-2029, Clare is set to be restricted to just having 4,500 new houses. These will largely be in urban parts of the county and it is something that many of the councillors feel is far too restrictive. Councillor Pat Burke said that the new census figures weren’t considered before the restrictions were produced. “Under the county development plan, up to now anyway, there was no mention of taking these figures into consideration.” He said that the growth in population is only seen in certain areas of Clare. “It’s definitely not in the rural areas. Private …

Rural road has to be upgraded privately before planning permission can be considered TWO East Clare one-off housing applicants have been advised they must unite and pay €10,000 in total for the upgrading of a rural road. In a letter to a planner, senior executive engineer, Niamh Madden stated the road needs to be upgraded from the last existing house to the entrances of the two sites for Anthony Guilfoyle and Patrick Treacy’s planning applications. Ms Madden estimated it will cost each applicant €5,000 apiece to get this road reconstructed privately. She stated they must get agreement via a road opening licence before they commence any works on the public road. While they are entitled to apply for a Community Involvement Scheme, there is a four-year backlog currently. However, planning permission granted to Anthony and Rachael Guilfoyle, Tuamgraney, for the construction of a dwelling house, domestic garage, new wastewater treatment system and associated site works at Lecarrow Lower, Feakle, is …

CLARE councillors are calling for more flexibility to be applied to increase the amount of land that is zoned for residential development in the county. Following official sanction for the completion of the final part of the €58 million of the Limerick Northern Distributor Road Coonagh to Knockalisheen Road, Councillor P J Ryan said a lot of land on the N18 from Lansdowne to the Radisson Hotel should be zoned for commercial and residential development. Councillor Ryan said there are hundreds of acres of council land near Shannon Airport that should be zoned for residential development, excluding the so-called red zone. He said company directors in Shannon wanted to build houses in places like Ballycasey but can’t get a site. Every extra house that is built will pay Local Property Tax to the local authority while more housing will result in an increase in population that will in turn support businesses and generate more income for the council and the …

RURAL councillors will have to “toughen up” to ensure that smaller communities have a chance to develop in the face of a new national directive which threatens to de-zone lands without wastewater treatment facilities. At a discussion this week of a review of Clare’s Rural Development Strategy, members noted the challenges facing communities in accessing such infrastructure. Clare is still the only county to have a rural strategy and Director of Service Leonard Cleary told members of the Rural Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) that it is now being reviewed to take account of changes including those caused by the pandemic. Councillor Pat Burke said that committee members would have to work hard to have their concerns addressed in the new County Development Plan. The forthcoming blueprint will have to take account of the National Planning Framework, which stipulates that lands where there is no prospect of wastewater infrastructure being built in the lifetime of the plan must lose their zoning …

THE Department of Housing has defended its decision not to approve Clare County Council’s plans for a multi-million social and affordable housing development in Meelick. Deputy Cathal Crowe wrote to the Housing Minister asking why a loan was denied to Clare County Council to develop a mixed housing development comprising of 70 social and affordable housing in Meelick last year. The Fianna Fáil Deputy had expressed his disappointment this housing development was shelved as there is a huge demand for social housing in South-East Clare. “It is hugely regrettable that this project is not being developed at a time when there is an immense need for housing in this area. I liked this development because it almost had a 50 50 split of affordable and social housing,” he stated. In accordance with the requirements in the Local Government Act 2001, Clare County Council sought sanction to borrow €6 million to purchase 10 sites across the county for housing development in …

THE ‘locals only’ planning policy in the county is the “biggest impediment” to the success of the Clare Rural Development Strategy Plan. That’s according to Councillor PJ Kelly, who has asked that the County Development Plan be reviewed to remove aspects that obstruct rural development. “We are doomed to disaster, unless we intervene,” he told this month’s meeting of Clare County Council. According to the councillor, he is aware of a number of incidences, where people who wanted to set up businesses in the county did not do so, as they were unable to get planning permission for homes. He said that something needs to be done “to allow development, without being asked to produce a passport”. He continued, “Different parts of the county are being severelydisadvantaged, while others are advantaged.” He said that the County Development Plan needs to be gone through “line by line”. “We have got to change a core part of the County Development Plan; what’s …

Clare County Councillors decided to defer making a decision on adopting a controversial road into the County Development Plan, following trenchant opposition from a lobby group. Councillors were given a deadline of July 31 at Monday’s council meeting to make a decision on the proposed Northern Distributor Road. No councillor spoke in favour of proceeding with the preferred route option. Senior planner Gordon Daly warned if councillors decided not to adopt the variation, it had the “potential to end the project for now” and noted that it may not go ahead in the future. Councillors voted by 17 votes to nine to defer a decision on this contentious route until Friday, July 24. The deferral was proposed by Councillor Pat Burke and seconded by Councillor Tom McNamara. Councillor Tony O’Brien proposed a sub-committee be set up including councillors, planners and engineers to try to devise an acceptable alternative proposal. Before the vote, chief executive officer, Tom Coughlan, reminded councillors this …