Clare tourism proposal suffers setback

Ambitious plans to open an area of geological interest in Co Clare to thousands of tourists each year has suffered a serious setback.

This follows draft plans to develop a nature park at the Bridges of Ross on the Loop Head peninsula being withdrawn by applicant Kieran Keating following advice from Clare County Council.

The Bridges of Ross are located three miles from the Loop Head lighthouse. They were exposed to centuries of Atlantic storms which resulted in the unusual geological formation of three natural arches that spanned an inlet to the north of the small peninsula. During the 20th century two of those bridges were washed away.

The council issued the advice to withdraw plans following concerns expressed by An Taisce, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the council's own heritage officer.

The bodies said significant landscape, environmental and technical concerns were not appropriately dealt with in an outline application.

Mr Keating will now have to draw up an environmental impact statement (EIS) and lodge a full planning application if he wishes to pursue the project.

A council memo recommended that landowners be sought in partnership to develop the accommodation farther from the Bridges of Ross in a developed area.

This would integrate Loop Head visitor attractions into the proposal to act as a focus for accommodation.

Describing the project earlier this year, Mr Keating said: "The area around the Bridges of Ross is a west Clare treasure unseen by most of the hundreds of thousands of visitors to Clare each year. It does attract tens of thousands of pilgrims, but it suffers from a total lack of facilities, difficult and dangerous accessibility, and zero promotion.

"However, all that may be about to change, and the Bridges of Ross looks set to be polished up to become a real gem of Clare's tourist circuit."

Mr Keating added: "This specific area is of particular interest to, among others, walkers, bird-watchers, geologists and geology students, divers, anglers and offshore fishermen.

"Facilities are non-existent in the area, with no public toilet facility within 10 miles. The last investment of any resources into the site consisted of providing a narrow gravel/shale pathway from the existing car-park, to the focal point of the area, the remaining bridge."

With the application now withdrawn, it is understood that Mr Keating intends to relodge full plans, though this is pending the results of the environmental impact statement.