An Bord Pleanála has refused planning permission for a new housing development in the county town.
Drumquin Construction LTD had previously received the green light from the local authority to build thirteen homes in the Knockaneen area.
The project was due to consist of 11x two-storey and 2x single-storey houses on a 1.9 hectare site, just 3.5km from the town centre.
The proposal also included the provision of provision of a pedestrian access footbridge to the existing Gort Leamhan estate and the completion of on-street public lighting on the public road.
The application was first submitted to Clare County Council in May of 2021 and the local authority granted permission subject to 30 conditions the following March.
An Bord Pleanála would soon intervene though, following a public submission from a local resident citing concerns over inadequate drainage, flood risk potential, connection to public services and sight lines.
The statutory appeals body has this week decided to turn down the housing scheme.
In her report , Senior Planning Inspector Suzanne Kehely stated that due to the location lacked pedestrian connectivity to the town centre and would be highly car dependent.
Ms Kehely added that the proposed works would constitute piecemeal, fragmented and uncoordinated development in a rural location, in direct conflict with the strategic settlement objective for Ennis in the county development plan.
In a separate case, last week An Bord Pleanala overturned a decision made by the local authority that will now allow Jada Property Investments to construct 4 x two-storey houses at the Hawthorns Estate in Ennis.
Clare County Council had previously only granted permission for three of the four properties in the proposed scheme on Clonroadmore in the interest of protecting the visual amenity of the estate.
