Clubs approve sale of Cusack Park for €86m

Proposals for a €350 million commercial riverside quarter in Ennis, Co Clare, have moved a step closer after the GAA in Clare agreed to sell its Cusack Park grounds to developers for €86 million.

An overwhelming majority of Clare's GAA clubs voted in favour of the proposal to sell the 25,000 capacity, 80-year-old Cusack Park site to the Aisling Chíosóig Partnership, headed by Bernard McNamara of builders Michael McNamara and Co.

Some 61 clubs voted in favour with eight against. There were five abstentions.

As part of the deal for the strategic 10-acre site, the consortium has agreed to sell a 32-acre fully developed site at Quin Road, Ennis, to the GAA for €18 million, which will be the location of the association's new Clare headquarters.

A statement from the partnership, which also includes local builders Noel Connellan and Seán Lyne, stated yesterday that "it is very pleased" with the decision of the clubs.

The deal has now to be ratified by the Munster Council and Croke Park.

In order for the project to proceed, the nine-member Ennis Town Council will need to rezone Cusack Park for commercial development. No application was made to rezone the grounds for commercial development in the recent review of the Ennis Development Plan.

However, a planner's report on the review found that councillors do not support the rezoning of Cusack Park for a mixed use purpose.

Independent councillor Frankie Neylon confirmed yesterday that he is against the rezoning of the park for development. Cllr Neylon claimed the site for the proposed new GAA stadium is located on a flood plain.

Last week, a presentation was made to councillors on the proposed sale and redevelopment of Cusack Park, and the partnership said yesterday: "We anticipate several opportunities in the new year to outline details of this exciting new project to the members of Ennis Town Council and to the people of Ennis."

The partnership claims that the proposal "promises to position Ennis as the premier urban centre in the mid-west".

As well as significant retail outlets, the riverside quarter will include a four star hotel with international standard conference facilities; residential and office accommodation; leisure facilities including a Cineplex, leisure centre, a riverside boardwalk, public plaza, civic amenity areas and residential units.

The new riverside quarter is to be designed by Murray O'Laoire Architects and the statement said the proposal "will open up the town to the river Fergus with a riverside walk and promenade".

The plan will also include a plaza for civic events and weekly markets and a civic centre to be administered on behalf of the people of Ennis by the town council.

According to the consortium: "The riverside quarter will greatly reduce the need for shoppers to travel to Limerick and Galway.

"At the moment €75 million of expenditure on non-grocery goods is leaking out of Ennis every year."