Permission, dated 30 May 2018, has been granted by An Bord Pleanala. News was received this morning that the Bord have overruled Inspector Derek Daly’s recommendation to refuse permission. See full documentation online, including Inspectors reports and Bord Directions.
This is the third Oral Hearing Planning inspector to recommend refusal for this project on this site.
All of Bord Pleanala’s three inspectors who held the 2003, 2009 and now the 2016 hearings recommended refusing permission. The 2011 ruling upheld the Inspectors recommendation and refused planning.
In his report, the Inspector gave 5 key reasons for his recommendation to refuse planning. Three of those recommendations were carried over to his addendum report, which was issued following the invited submission of further information from Indaver Ireland to Bord Pleanala.
The three key reasons for refusal which carried over to the Inspectors final report were:
Compatibility with emerging campus and heritage : The proposed development is not compatible with recent development in the area, i.e. rejuvenation of the area as a hub for tourism, Education and for R&D, supported by Local Area Plans and backed by Government investment.
Evaluation of alternatives: No new evaluation of alternative sites was carried out, as required, and evaluation was simply carried over from prior proposals.
Over development of Site: Because of the configuration of the site, the Inspector concluded that it would constitute overdevelopment of the site which would seriously injure the amenities of the area and property in the vicinity.
