Different versions of Clare plan circulated

The drawing-up of a new development plan for Clare is in disarray after Clare County Council officials admitted that two versions of the new draft plan have been circulated.

As a result of the mistake, Clare's Mayor, Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind), has directed the county manager, Mr Alec Fleming, to seek legal opinion from the county council's solicitor on the implications of the two versions being circulated.

Mr Fleming has accepted the call for legal opinion and the process of drawing up a new plan has been stalled.

The council was due to adopt the amended draft plan by October 1st. However, that has now been put back by a month to allow the council consider the fall-out from the publication of two versions of the draft plan.

The leader of the Fianna Fáil group on the council, Cllr PJ Kelly, claimed yesterday that the circulation of two versions of the draft plan "may now result in the draft county development plan having to be declared null and void".

This would result in the council restarting the consultation process for the new draft county development plan.

The current process began in March of last year and has cost the council €175,000 in staff resources in bringing the plan to its current phase, according to the council's head of planning, Mr Ger Dollard.

It is understood there are material changes between the two versions that seriously affect the council's settlement location policy.

The draft plan was put on public display for the first six months of this year to allow the public make submissions. Over 100 submissions were received.

Mr Fleming acknowledged to the council's September meeting that the circulation of the two versions "has created a certain amount of confusion", but stressed there were no key changes between the two versions circulated.

However, Cllr Kelly claimed the changes were important ones and had an adverse impact on those seeking to build one-off houses.

"This second document, which only came to light after the Fianna Fáil group were going through the draft plan line by line, makes it virtually impossible to build one-off houses in the countryside."

At the council's September meeting, this view was echoed by Mr Jim Connolly of the Irish Rural Dwellers' Association.

In an address to councillors, Mr Connolly asked them how they could stand over a "scandalous" policy that aimed to restrict residential development in the Clare countryside.