Objections to Lahinch surf lodge plan raised

SURFERS IN Lahinch, Co Clare, and beyond are objecting to plans to build a €5 million national surf lodge overlooking the resort’s promenade.

Last month Séamus Carroll lodged plans with Clare County Council to demolish an amusement arcade on the prom and replace it with the surf lodge, capitalising on the reputation of Lahinch as a surf destination.

The four-storey plan with basement is to comprise a 29-room activity centre, two retail units, a bistro and a board rental unit. Also included is an indoor “flow rider” or wave machine for surfers.

In a submission by the Lahinch-based West Coast Surf Club, its chairman Dave Flynn says the proposed building “is inappropriate for its setting”.

Mr Flynn told the council that neither the West Coast Surf Club nor the Irish Surf Association – the representative body for Irish surfers – supports the application.