The newly elected chairman of Clare County Council, Mr Richard Nagle (FF), has been criticised for his opposition to a proposed social housing scheme on the outskirts of Ennistymon.
Last February, the council granted planning permission for the 42-unit scheme. However, Mr Nagle, who was then council vice-chairman, contributed with other local residents towards the funding of a planning consultant to draft a successful appeal to An Bord Pleanala.
Along with claiming that the plan would lead to a drop in the value of the appellants' property, the residents' appeal also noted that the developer owned more lands in the immediate vicinity and further development would result in an isolated "township" remote from Ennistymon.
Explaining his opposition to the plan, Mr Nagle said this week: "There were serious reservations expressed by all of the people in the locality concerning the ability of the infrastructure to cope with that scale of the development at that particular location. A lower density development would have been more appropriate for that particular area."
In its report to the board, council planners said it considered it advantageous to the community by providing a range of affordable housing, outweighing the fact that the site was detached from Ennistymon.
A spokesman for the council confirmed yesterday that it had been conducting negotiations with the developer and Cluid, (formerly St Pancreas) Housing Association to put in place a voluntary housing scheme at the site.
However, this week An Bord Pleanala refused planning permission, upholding the appellants' views on the inability of the local infrastructure to accommodate the development, and its location away from the centre of Ennistymon.
Mr Nagle's opposition to the plan coincides with the council recently adopting a draft housing strategy where it outlined its need to provide 324 social and affordable houses in the county each year.
Independent councillor Mr Martin Lafferty said yesterday: "I am disappointed at Cllr Nagle's actions in objecting to this scheme, especially in the light of the adoption of the recent housing strategy. There is a terrible need for social and affordable housing in the Ennistymon area and this decision represents a terrible loss to the local community. It is a big opportunity missed."
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