Re: Re: well what about the developments popping up in the shannonside ?

Greyhound stadium plan ruled invalid by Clare County Council

By David Hurley and Jerome O’Connell Limerick Leader

PLANS to construct a €20 million greyhound stadium on the outskirts of Limerick City have been declared invalid after Bord na gCon failed to reply to a request for further information from Clare County Council.
The local authority was due to make a decision last October, in relation to the planning application, but further information about the proposed development was requested from Limerick-based Bord na gCon. This Wednesday, a spokesperson for Clare County Council said: “There is a six-month statutory time-frame involved and because we did not receive a reply during that time the application has been declared invalid and it will be returned to the applicant.”

Local councillor Cathal Crowe has reacted angrily to this week’s developments. “I am seeking an urgent meeting between all the parties involved in the proposed development. I have relentlessly campaigned to see this facility come to fruition but I am now worried that Bord na gCon may be about to pull the plug on the site they purchased,” he said.

Last year it emerged that planning officials had expressed a number of concerns in relation to the proposed stadium. One concern was that the application would be “premature” in the context of the forthcoming construction of the Shannon Tunnel. At the time An Taisce also expressed its opposition to the stadium and in a submission it said: “The proposed development is not acceptable in the interests of proper planning.”

The submission also suggested the construction of underpasses or safe routes to allow otters to traverse the existing N18 dual carriageway: “If forced onto the road, otters will be killed and this would also create a hazard for road traffic,” it stated.

Meanwhile, in its first-quarter report for 2007, which was published this week, Bord na gCon confirmed the future of the proposed stadium was unclear. “The direction from Clare County Council that it would not be in favour of direct access to the N18, even when declassified from a national primary route, has necessitated detailed negotiation with adjoining landowners, regarding access to the N18, via a new roundabout at Meelick,” it said.

“The Board has not yet been able to finalise arrangements for access with adjoining landowners and as a consequence is exploring its options in respect of ensuring that its commitment to developing a new Limerick facility is met.”

Bord na gCon had sought permission to build a 3,000 capacity five-storey greyhound stadium and a three-story office building at Meelick between the Clodrinagh halting site and the Two Mile Inn. If the development is to go ahead, as proposed, a new planning application will have to be completed and lodged.

19 May 2007

So where does Bord na gCon go from here?

• Wait till the tunnel is finished to commence with a new application?
• Redevelop the Markets Field in Garryowen?
• Look yet again for a new suitable site?

Green Park and the Patrickswell race course were previous failed options. Previous Post