THREE Ennistymon area councillors have raised concerns about the adequacy of resources in the local authority’s Planning Department, citing a backlog with access to pre-planning advice. In a joint, cross-party, motion tabled before the July meeting of the local authority, Councillors Shane Talty, Joe Killeen and Joe Garrihy described the pre-planning function as being “bedevilled by delays”. “Pre-planning should be the cornerstone of building a house,” Councillor Talty told the meeting. “Planning staff now appear to be swamped with full planning applications. Those have to get priority. This is not a criticism of the Planning Department, but there are delays, in getting pre-planning meetings, in some cases of four or five months and that’s not serving anyone. People are getting frustrated with the wait and they’re firing in their applications and then getting into conflict.” The Fianna Fáil member also described a “geographical lottery” for those looking for pre-planning advice. “There are huge build-ups in some areas and a long …
Read More »Council seeks plan for unfinished Clarecastle development
Clare County Council has formally asked Grant Thornton, the receivers of the unfinished development at Cois Fhorgais in Clarecastle village, to furnish their plans for the site. The development, which is known locally as Devine’s Field, has been in a state of disrepair for several years. Local Fine Gael Deputy Joe Carey has been advised by the council’s planning department that they recently carried out an inspection of the unfinished development at Cois Fhorgais, Clarecastle and had written to the receivers, Grant Thornton, with reference to the long-term resolution of the site and current issues therein which require immediate attention. “As you are aware, the above site is listed on the Register of Unfinished Housing Developments and it is noted that little or no recent works have been carried out on the site to rectify the situation. There is currently a live extension of planning permission on the site, which will expire in April 2016. Consequently, the planning authority has requested the …
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