Objections to development plans for Lough Key Forest Park, lodged with An Bord Pleanala, have caused anger in nearby Boyle. It is feared that the resulting delay could jeopardise funding earmarked for the scheme.
People living in the area, where there is general support for the £5 million development, are particularly annoyed that the two objections have been lodged by Dublin people who are not known to have any connections with Boyle or the park.
The plan was drawn up by Mr Duncan Stewart after widespread consultation with the local community, including environmentalists who had opposed other plans to develop the badly-neglected amenity.
Its publication brought to an end years of argument about how the park should be developed, and of criticism of Coillte management.
A planning application for the scheme, which includes 30 timber chalets in the woods, was lodged with Roscommon County Council on November 11th. Because funding was not available indefinitely, the county council gave priority to the scheme and permission was granted on November 29th, subject to 40 conditions.
The president of Boyle Chamber of Commerce, Mr Brian Nerney, said local people would not have allowed Coillte to lodge the application if it had not been not in the best interests of the park and the town.
"The whole town is totally united on this. Everybody believes that the development should go ahead, so we are just lost for words at these two objections."
Mr Nerney said the plans were "careful and sensitive" and changes had been made, including the location of the chalets, to meet environmental concerns. He said that while it was accepted that people from outside the area had a right to object because it was a national park, the development was vital to the economic future of the town. "This is a lovely park, but green fields on their own won't put bread and butter on the tables of the local people," Mr Nerney said.
Unless the objections are withdrawn, the planning appeals process could take up to six months.
Mr Nerney said the main concern now was whether funding would still be available. A large proportion of the money was coming from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through Bord Failte.
"The important thing now is that Bord Failte sticks with us through this," he said.
The objections are that an Environmental Impact Survey (EIS) was not submitted with the planning application and that chalets are not a suitable development for an environmentally-sensitive area.