The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
AN application to extend a mobile home holiday park in Kilkee has been refused permission by the local authority.
Cunningham’s Holiday Park at Well Road, Kilkee Lower, had applied to extend and provide an additional 20 mobile home sites.
A number of objections had been made to the proposed development.
A cover letter accompanying the planning application said, “The proposed development consists of an extension to the existing holiday park (mobile home park).
“The proposed extension will be located within the applicant’s own lands, which adjoin the existing park and the extension will accommodate an additional 20 serviced mobile home sites.
“All 20 sites will be for static mobile homes and will be sold individually to private clients as is the case with the existing park.”
An objection made by a number of residents of Dunlickey Road stated, “There are too many mobile homes in Kilkee at present, more mobile homes than residents.
“These mobiles are unoccupied for most of the year. (People) wishing to relocate to Kilkee cannot find rental accommodation on a yearly basis. Kilkee residents cannot afford to buy a house in Kilkee.
“Twenty more mobile homes will in no way alleviate the problem of providing affordable homes in Kilkee.”
It added that Kilkee has “a major sewage and waste water problem” and that “common sense dictates that this ongoing major problem has to be dealt with before granting permission for 20 more mobile homes, thus compounding the problem.”
Their objection also stated that “Mobile homes in no way enhance the physical environment. To grant permission for 20 more mobile homes would totally spoil the natural landscape of the area. Do we need to rearrange the landscape to suit private needs?”
In any event the Council rejected the application on two grounds.
It said it was “not satisfied that the Flood Risk Assessment submitted with the application adequately demonstrates that the proposed development will not result in an increased risk of flooding of the site or adjoining lands, or pose a risk to existing developments in the vicinity”.
“It is therefore considered that the proposed development would exacerbate the risk of flooding within the site and/or increase the risk and consequences of flooding elsewhere, and would be premature pending the design and provision of flood relief measures for the area.
“The proposed development would therefore be contrary to Ministerial Guidelines and would be prejudicial to public health and safety, and would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”
Another reason for the rejection was road safety. Planners deemed the road network and entrance that serves as the access to the site to be deficient in terms of its capacity, surfacing and provision for pedestrian and cyclist movement, to accommodate the volume and composition of vehicular, pedestrian and cyclist traffic associated with the development.
“Therefore the planning authority considers that the proposed development would endanger public safety by reason of a traffic hazard, would have an adverse impact on traffic safety and free flow on the public access road, and therefore would not be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked for a number of other regional titles in Limerick, Galway and Cork.
