Clare County Council has refused planning permission for over 50 homes and a creche near a retirement village in Ennis.
The proposed housing scheme had been earmarked for the Drumbiggle area of the town.
The project would have involved 34 houses and a combination of 22 apartment and duplex units on a site to the north of the Páirc Na Coille Retirement Village.
The homes proposed comprised of 16x one-bed dwellings, 6 x two-bed units, 30 x three-bed houses and 4 x four-bed properties.
The plans submitted by Leadlane Drumbiggle LTD also made provision for a creche facility with three dedicated childcare spaces as well as kitchen, dining and sleeping room.
Clare County Council received 31 public submissions in relation to the proposal, including from the Cahercalla Drive Residents Association which stated the development would be “out of character for the area.”
The residents also stated that the town of Ennis has very few open, wooded or green areas and claimed that such a development on the proposed site “would only aggravate what is already a very bad situation for the people”
Other locals cited concerns over the potential of back flooding and harm to local ecosystems including badgers, hedge hogs, horseshoe bats and foxes.
Clare County Council ultimately refused permission on the grounds of flooding, ecological and zoning contraventions to the county development plan.
