Tag Archives: An Bord Pleanála

AN ORAL hearing is to be held later this month in relation to the compulsory purchase of lands required for an upgrade to the Kilfenora Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). An Bord Pleanála will facilitate the online hearing on Tuesday, January 19 with a decision on the matter pencilled in for January 21. According to December’s management report from Clare County Council, it is proposed to upgrade the existing Kilfenora WWTP, reuse the existing treated effluent rising main to the current discharge point and construct a new percolation area at this site. Planning permission has been granted to Irish Water, but the appeals board has opted to hold a hearing before it adjudicates on the project. The event is described as an opportunity “to make further submissions and to allow the inspector to seek clarification on any relevant issues arising and objections made”. The board has also stressed that the hearing will look at the nature of the Compulsory Purchase Order …

A GOVERNMENT minister has pledged that the construction of a new €1.3 million flood relief scheme on the outskirts of Clonlara will ensure scenes of flooded homes will “become a thing of the past”. Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Patrick O’Donovan, has welcomed the approval of planning permission by An Bord Pleanála for the proposed flood relief scheme in Springfield, Clonlara. The scheme will involve the construction of a flood protection embankment, land raising, penstock / sluice, pump station and associated works at the townland and surrounding areas of Springfield. The project will protect 18 residential properties and will cost in the region of €1.3 million to build. “I think everybody who has followed coverage of flooding events over the past few years will recall the scenes of flooded homes and distressed residents trying to deal with the aftermath of significant flooding in Springfield/Clonlara. “Now that An Bord Pleanála has approved planning permission for …

A 25-YEAR campaign by flood-hit residents in South-East Clare has finally reaped dividends after An Bord Pleanála gave the green light to the construction of a €1.2 million flood protection embankment. Springfield resident, Geraldine Quinlivan has praised the dogged determination of the local community for securing the long-awaited flood protection works. This South-East Clare rural community has been hit by flooding in 1995, 2002, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2018 and in February 2020 when families had to be evacuated from their homes after their access road became impassable. More than 7,000 sandbags and pumping stations were delivered to houses in the locality as part of a flood management plan implemented by Clare County Council to assist other locals in the battle to keep water from entering their premises. Speaking to the Clare Champion on Wednesday, Ms Quinlivan said residents were delighted with the latest ruling from the appeals’ board after decades of lobbying. She hopes that no one will lodge a …

A MULTINATIONAL discount giant can proceed with plans to develop a multi-million Euro foodstore in Westbury after An Board Pleanála dismissed a planning appeal. Lidl has been given the green light to construct a new discount retail outlet, coffee shop and car park in a major new development, subject to 16 new planning conditions. The supermarket discount store has estimated the new store and adjoining coffee shop could generate approximately thirty jobs in the local area. The development also includes the provision of 87 surface car parking spaces to the front of the site. The discount foodstore, which incorporates a sales area of 1,192 square metres will also accommodate a small café area, bakery, preparation area and staff ancillary spaces. A large chiller/freezer area together with a delivery and storage area is also to be incorporated within the building. The delivery area is to be located at the northern end of the building. The main public access is to be …

CONCERNS are being voiced in Bodyke about the nature of the consultation process surrounding a multimillion Euro wind farm proposed for the slopes of Slieve Bernagh in East Clare. In recent weeks, a Facebook page, called ‘Bodyke Voice on Wind Farm’ has been set up by people in the community to facilitate discussion. One of those raising awareness of the project, Susan McMahon of the Cobbler’s Rest, has used the page to publish responses from the developer, Coillte, to a series of detailed questions, some of which focus on a perceived lack of consultation with the wider community. “I have no agenda on this,” Ms McMahon told The Champion. “I’m not trying to rally the forces or influence people one way or another on this project. I’m not against green energy, I’m in favour of it, but, I do feel we have been brushed aside in terms of consultation.” The publican outlined how she had learned, by word of mouth, …

THE time-line for awarding the contract to build the new multimillion Euro Killaloe Bridge and Bypass has slipped slightly from its original target, The Champion has learned, with the likelihood that the three-part project may not now be completed until 2024. Works to progress the project, which also includes improvements to the R494, have continued despite Covid-19 restrictions, with the Project Steering Group, lead by Clare County Council, meeting remotely in April and May. In response to a query from The Champion, the local authority has outlined a time-frame indicating it expects the contract for the main works to be awarded at the end of March next year, with construction taking a further three years to complete. The most recent update available previously was as briefing to members of the Killaloe Municipal District which indicated that contracts would be awarded before the end of 2020, with a target completion date of late 2022. “The Project Team … are close to …

DISAPPOINTMENT has been expressed in Springfield, Clonlara, after a further delay with relief works designed to save residents from a repeat of devastating flooding that has forced them out of their homes multiple times over the last 15 years. Planning for flood protection works began in early 2016, after more than 10 families had to evacuate their properties and a further five had their access roads completely cut off. Since then, the proposed €1.2 million works have hit a number of hurdles, and it has now been confirmed that rather than going through an internal local authority adjudication process, the plans will now go to An Bord Pleanála. Senior Engineer with Clare County Council, Seán Lenihan told authority members this month that the nature of the works could not be contained, as had been anticipated, within a Part Eight application. “They require an EIAR (Environmental Impact Assessment Report) and an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement),” he explained, adding that the application …

PLANS for a multimillion Euro East Clare wind farm are to be lodged next month, The Clare Champion has learned. Coillte has confirmed that it is currently finalising an application for 19 turbines on a 750 hectare site, around a-mile-and-a-half from Bodyke, on the slopes of Slieve Bearnagh. The proposal, which will seek 30-year permission for The Carrownagowan Wind Farm, will be lodged directly to An Bórd Pleanála as strategic infrastructure. “Our project team is targeting a submission date towards the end of June and this will be advertised prior to final submission,” outlined Andy Fox, Community Engagement Manager with Coillte. Mr Fox also noted that a detailed brochure on the project had recently been widely distributed across East Clare, and that consultations were continuing, in line with the restrictions imposed by Covid-19. The site is described by Coillte as an appropriate location to access the national grid via the substation at Ardnacrusha. The company also notes it is designated …