MAYOR CALLS MEETING TO DISCUSS SHIPTON DECISION
Fermoy Mayor, Tadhg O’Donovan, has called a special town council meeting for this Thursday, October 2, to discuss the decision on the Shipton planning application.
The refusal, last week, of the Shipton Group planning application by the Fermoy planning authority has caused great concern among the population of the town, including councillors and business interests.
And although the shock and concern was expressed through letters, faxes and e-mails received from the people of Fermoy by the Shipton Group, there is not much the councillors, who have been asked to attend the special meeting, can do about it, as the planning application is still considered to be ‘live’ until the four week period, “allowed for the option to appeal to An Bord Pleanala has elapsed,” explains Cllr Peter Merrigan.
Referring to the futility of such a meeting the councillor suggested, “The mayor and Fermoy Town Council would be far better employed in sitting down and agreeing a date at which we, as a united group, would sit down with the developers of the proposed hotel and try to bring a project to fruition over which we have some influence, rather than as usual howling at the moon.”
In the meantime the Shipton Group endeavours to pick up the pieces.
“We are still considering our options. We haven’t yet decided what to do,” said a very disappointed Padraig Barrett, project manager.
“What made the refusal doubly surprising to me was that the Shipton Group had worked very closely with the council executive and one would have thought that the reservations expressed in the refusal would have been adequately addressed in the original application.”
“However, the bottom line, is that the council executive made a decision with the best interests of Fermoy at heart and we may well be glad of that fact in the future when we look back at what might have been,” pointed out Cllr Merrigan this week.
Although disillusioned over the loss of jobs that the development would have provided, the councillor is hoping that the Shipton Group will respond positively and appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanala.
Published:
Thursday 2nd October 7:20pm
