Decision to let £6m development go ahead angers Lahinch residents

An Bord Pleanala was yesterday accused of ignoring the wishes of the people of Lahinch by upholding a Clare County Council decision to grant planning permission to a £6 million housing development at the west Clare resort.

Both the Lahinch Community Council and 129 residents from the School Road area appealed the council's decision to grant permission to the development, which is located on an elevated site in the Dough area of the resort.

In its ruling - complete with 22 conditions - the appeals board said the 64-unit development "would not seriously injure the amenities of the area, would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience and would be in accordance with the proper planning and development of the area".

However, Mr Pat Conway, chairman of Lahinch Community Council, said yesterday it was absolutely appalling that the board had ignored the wishes of the community, adding that no infrastructure was being provided to cope with the scale of development.

In its appeal, the community council stated: "A need for this number of dwellings for permanent occupancy does not exist in the area. This proposed development would affect the character of the village and the community at large, while the current inadequacy of the infrastructure would lead to further traffic congestion and parking problems at the resort."

Since 1995, through the introduction of the Seaside Resort Renewal Scheme, a large number of holiday home developments have taken place at the resort.

A spokesman for the School Road said yesterday residents had lost confidence in the planning process after the ruling. In their appeal, the residents stated that the proposal would be more in keeping with a large town of 10,000 residents.

"We are genuinely shocked at the decision. We would appear to have no say in the future of Lahinch. All summer, visitors, who have been coming here over a number of years have asked, `how did you let all this development happen?'

"We tell them we have tried but there seems to be nothing that we can do. All of the proposed developments that have been opposed in the village over the past three years have all gone ahead. We have no input whatsoever, that cannot be right in a democracy. We are very, very disappointed."

The villagers' anger at the appeal board's decision is heightened by a previous decision by Clare County Council to refuse planning permission for 64 holiday homes on the same site in 1997, a decision which was upheld by An Bord Pleanala.

Planning permission was only granted to the developers, J. & M. Construction Ltd., last March by Clare Co Council after the company entered into a Section 38 agreement with the council precluding the use of the dwellings as holiday homes, agreeing that they be used for permanent occupancy only.

The lead taken by J. & M. Construction Ltd has since been followed by McInerney Construction Ltd., which has also entered into a similar agreement with the council in an effort to secure planning for a £3 million development at the resort.

A previous application by the company for holiday homes on the same site was turned down by both the council and the appeals board.

Citing census figures showing that the population of Lahinch only rose by 30 between 1991 and 1996, Lahinch Community Council member Mr Donogh O'Loghlin claimed the Section 38 agreements "make a mockery of the planning system".

"There is absolutely no demand for these homes, which will leave Lahinch with a terrible legacy."