A review of a development plan for the greater Ennis area has sparked an unprecedented rezoning frenzy among developers in Clare, with the Catholic Church joining the scramble to take advantage of new land designations.
The rezoning has the potential to make millions for property owners and has raised the prospect of shops and businesses being developed on the residence of the Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh.
In a surprise move, St Flannan's (Killaloe) diocesan trust is seeking to have the eight acres of prime development land at the bishop's Westbourne residence, currently zoned "other settlement land", rezoned for mixed-use development to allow residential, commercial and retail activities. This would greatly increase the value of the lands and allow any prospective developer to construct a retail or business park on the site.
In the planner's response to the church request, it points out that the site is an architectural conservation area and the dwelling, Westbourne House, is a protected structure. The report points out that the site is within walking distance of community facilities, schools, retail and commercial services.
It goes on: "However, it should be noted that there is no identified need for additional zoned lands to meet the future needs forecast for the new plan period." The request to rezone lands at Dr Walsh's residence is one of a number that the diocesan trust has made to rezone land in the Ennis area. The trust has also lobbied the council to rezone lands at Station Road in Ennis, containing the former Burren cinema, the Maria Assumpta Hall, a Scout Hall and some open space in the vicinity of the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral to one of the council's strategic "proposal sites".
The land is already zoned "community" and "town centre" and the diocesan trust is seeking that the "proposal site" be zoned to include community, office and commercial uses.
The trust also wants the site at Cloughleigh primary school to be rezoned from community to another "proposal site" to include community, office and commercial uses. The school is expected to relocate to a greenfield site in the near future.
In all, the county council has received 168 submissions, 132 of them site-specific where the vast majority are related to rezoning.
In total, developers are seeking to rezone 1,720 acres of land around Ennis to residential, mixed, commercial and industrial use.
