Visitor centre at Cliffs of Moher gets go-ahead

Ten years after the plans were first announced, permission was finally granted yesterday for a €12.7 million visitor centre at the Cliffs of Moher.

Clare County Council, which is also the promoter of the project, made the decision despite strong opposition from An Taisce and Shannon Development, the council's former partners in the project.

Yesterday An Taisce said it would be appealing the decision to An Bord Pleanála while Shannon Development expressed its "deep disappointment" at the decision. Strongly hinting that it would also appeal, Shannon Development said it was actively reviewing its options on what actions to take in light of the council's decision.

The award-winning design by O'Riordan Staehli Architects, of Cork, is to comprise a two-storey centre built into the hillside behind the tea-rooms and shop at the cliffs, which annually attract over 750,000 visitors.

The centre is to include an audiovisual theatre, a restaurant and an exhibition area, while a separate retail centre will be constructed in the car-park.

The plan was put on hold for eight years because of a legal wrangle between the council and local land-owners at the cliffs. However, this was resolved in 2000 after the land-owners were guaranteed an interest in the retail centre. Plans were lodged last April.

However, in a U-turn in policy, Shannon Development lodged a "fundamental objection to the nature and scale of the proposal" and followed this with a more comprehensive objection last Friday, days before the council reached its decision.

The county manager, Mr Willie Moloney, said yesterday that the plan was assessed objectively. The council had established a company to process the application to allow the plan to go through the full process letting parties appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanála.

The council's planner's report described the centre as "an imaginative proposal", adding that the centre would be more environmentally sustainable than the one now at the cliffs.

To lessen the impact on the visitor attraction, a park-and-ride scheme would service the centre, while the council is to draw up a visitor management strategy for the area. During the 18-month construction period, access to the cliffs is to be maintained.

The Heritage Officer with An Taisce, Mr Ian Lumley, confirmed yesterday that it would be appealing the decision.