Efforts to tackle legacy issues of commercial vacancy in West Clare have received a welcome boost.
It comes as Clare County Council has granted permission for the development of a new hospitality unit in Kilrush.
If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again and at the second attempt, Laura’s Company LTD has been granted approval to convert an existing vacant retail unit in Kilrush, into a takeaway and restaurant.
The project met a stumbling block last December when Clare County Council ordered the plans to be revised, citing concerns over the proposed late night opening hours.
In the original application, the proposed opening hours for the Henry Street facility were from 9am to 11:45pm.
This prompted concerns for the local authority relating to potential adverse impacts for nearby amenities from noise disturbance.
Laura’s Company LTD subsequently proposed revised opening hours of 9am to 11pm.
Clare County Council then granted permission for the project subject to six conditions.
The West Clare town currently has the second-highest level of commercial vacancy in Munster and ninth-highest nationwide at 24.6%, but the latest decision will take this statistic slowly but surely on a welcome downward trajectory.
