A west Clare community is split over moves by Clare County Council to list a 19th century pier as a protected structure in the Clare County Development Plan.
The pier at Cahercon, Kildysart, is seen as a vital in plans for a €6 million explosives factory. Plans for the factory are expected to be relodged shortly with the council by a Whelan Group subsidiary, Shannon Explosives Ltd.
Earlier this year, a separate Whelan Group company, CW Shipping Ltd, succeeded in a High Court judicial review in having the pier delisted from the development plan, as the council did not follow proper procedures. The company wants the pier to remain delisted to facilitate plans for the factory.
The council has since moved to re-list Cahercon pier, prompting more than 140 submissions from the public, with the majority supporting the council. However, a sizeable number of locals expressed opposition to the pier being re-listed.
Council conservation officer Risteard Ua Cronin said the pier should be a protected structure, adding it merited the "regional" rating assigned to it by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage of the Department of the Environment.
The Kildysart Explosives Factory Opposition Group yesterday welcomed the council's plan.
However, CW Shipping - which has a 35-year lease on the pier from the council - is leading the opposition against the re-listing, saying its designation will affect job creation.
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