Council facing further obstacles to building of centre

Clare County Council overcame the greatest obstacle to its plans to construct a visitor centre at the Cliffs of Moher when it secured planning from An Bord Pleanála yesterday.

Further obstacles remain, however, as the council has no funding for capital projects. It has put on hold plans to develop a new headquarters, while it has a current deficit of just under €10 million on its day-to day spending.

With no funding of its own, the council has lodged an application with Bord Fáilte seeking €6 million in grant aid for the plan. In its application, the council stated it has already spent €1.3 million on purchasing land at the site.

The council does not expect a decision until 2003 from Bord Fáilte on the application. The council hopes to generate the funding shortfall through equity of €3.5 million and borrowings of €3.5 million.

This process will give the council time to resolve a new obstacle thrown up by yesterday's decision, which ruled that a free-standing retail building in the existing car-park should be omitted from the plan.

This building was conceived to allow local landowners a stake-hold in the centre. They in return entered a land deal which allowed the council's planning application be lodged.

The project was held up in the 1990s when Shannon Development would not countenance the landowners having retail space in the centre. However a compromise was reached between the council and the landowners in March 2000.

The council's project manager for the plan, Mr Ger Dollard, said yesterday the council had contractual obligations to the landowners and would be seeking to honour them.

Yesterday's decision also rules out further retailing by traders at the cliffs. Traders have operated at the cliffs for a number of years and the council will face opposition from the traders who are expected to contest any moves to have their long-standing businesses removed.

The land-ownership issue of the site has also not been resolved. Not referred to in yesterday's decision, Shannon Development's claim on part of the development site played a significant role at the Bord Pleanála oral hearing.

If the council is to proceed with the plan it will have to go through with a compulsory purchase of the Shannon Development land, which is expected to be opposed by the agency. However, in an early sign of the council looking to get Shannon Development on board, Mr Dollard said he was in phone contact with Shannon Development yesterday in relation to the decision, and said he hoped to hold a meeting with the agency in the new year.