An appeal has been lodged with An Bord Pleanála following Clare County Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for a major housing development and a crèche in Ennis.
The local authority turned down the proposal last month, which was due to be located near of a retirement village.
Leadlane LTD is hoping to keep its plans for 34 houses and 22 apartments along with a crèche alive in Ennis.
The company had proposed to build on a 2.4 hectare site, north of the Pairc Na Coille Retirement Village.
The project received a hammer blow at the beginning of March after Clare County Council ruled it would contravene the county development plan on flooding, ecological and zoning grounds.
The proposal received 31 public submissions in the initial planning stage, including from the Cahercalla Drive Residents Association.
The residents argued that Ennis already has very few green spaces and that building on this site “would only aggravate what is already a very bad situation for the people.”
Other locals cited concerns over the potential harm to ecosystems such as badgers, hedgehogs, horseshoe bats and foxes in the area.
The matter is now in the hands of An Bord Pleanála and although the statutory appeals board is experiencing a significant backlog in cases, it states that a decision will be made by the 24th of July.
