The tax-based seaside resort scheme has been dealt a blow with An Bord Pleanala's decision to refuse planning permission for a holiday cottage development in Co Mayo.
The 18-house development which was proposed by Mr John Clarke - husband of RTE broadcaster, Ms Marian Finucane - at Corraun, Achill Sound, was turned down on three counts in a judgment issued yesterday. The appeals board said it would be out of character with the pattern of development in the area; visually obtrusive; and it would interfere with a view or prospect of special amenity value.
The proposed site is in an area designated as of "special scenic importance" in the Mayo County Development Plan.
The decision has been welcomed by Cairde for Currane, a group of residents who appealed the planning permission granted for the scheme last year by Mayo County Council. Mr Sean Cannon of Cairde for Currane said that tax-based incentive schemes excluded local involvement.
Corraun (also known as Currane), facing Achill island, was one of the areas designated under the scheme for traditional seaside resorts, initiated in 1995. At the oral planning hearing in Castlebar, Co Mayo, on January 28th, Mr Clarke's proposed development - which was designed to cater for people with disabilities - was defended by Mr Arthur Gibney, past president of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland.
