Clare Fm - Podcasts

A former Mayor of Ennis insists the High Court's decision to allow Supermac's to press ahead with contentious plans for a motorway plaza on the outskirts of the town must be welcomed. A protracted 10-year planning process came to an end on Friday after a judicial review stalling the development was quashed. When Pat McDonagh first lodged his planning application for a motorway plaza on the outskirts of Ennis in December 2014, it's unlikely he could have predicted the swings and roundabouts to come. An Bord Pleanála would later refuse permission and after this two more applications were withdrawn in 2016 and 2018, before the board finally gave the project the green light in 2022. This decision was soon challenged in the High Court by Kilfenora Engineer Michael Duffy, who raised concerns over the impact it would have on special areas of conservation, however the case was rejected on Friday. In the intervening years, multiple objections were lodged to the development by local businesses who feared the large