Council to miss housing deadline

The developers of a contentious €25 million housing development in Ennis, Co Clare, look set to secure planning permission for the development by default tomorrow.

This follows a failure by Ennis Town Council to make a decision on the application on or before the deadline of September 6th.

The council's planning department ruled that the plan by Anstand Development Ltd to develop 190 houses at Knockanean, Ennis, materially contravenes the 1992 Ennis Development Plan resulting in the plan being put before a council vote.

However, before a vote could be taken, council members abandoned their September meeting this week after it was pointed out that they had not adopted new standing orders or rules for holding meetings.

In an attempt to have a decision made before the deadline, council chairman, Mr Peter Considine (FF), sought to have the abandoned meeting reconvened for tomorrow.

Mr Considine told the meeting: "If there is not a decision by September 6th, I would be seriously concerned that the planning application would be granted by default." Mr Considine's proposal to hold a meeting tomorrow was rejected. If the council had adopted the standing orders, it is unlikely the proposal would have secured the necessary six council votes to obtain planning.

The application has been in the planning process for three years. The Roslevan and Doora Residents Association opposes the plan.