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Irish Independent
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Call to improve ‘unacceptable' bus services in Ashbourne amid disruptions
Sinn Féin Councillor Helen Meyer said recent service delays are causing significant hardship for residents. At the July meeting of the Ashbourne Municipal District, Cllr Meyer tabled a motion calling on Meath County Council to liaise more closely with Bus Éireann to ensure increased passenger capacity, particularly in light of the nearly 1,000 new housing units due for completion in Ashbourne over the coming months. To illustrate the issue, she referenced a recent incident where the 7:40 AM weekday bus was cancelled, leaving passengers waiting nearly an hour for the next service—only for that bus to break down en route. 'This is happening all too often,' said Cllr Meyer. 'As a result of this poor service, people are missing medical appointments, arriving late for work, amongst other issues. This situation is simply not acceptable.' She added: 'Buses are not turning up because a lot of them are breaking down.' Cllr Meyer also requested that a formal letter be sent from the council to the National Transport Authority (NTA) outlining her concerns. In response, Meath County Council confirmed that it regularly liaises with the NTA and relevant bus operators regarding routes and service levels throughout the county. The council referred to its County Development Plan, which includes a specific policy (MOV POL 8) supporting regular reviews of the local bus network and advocating for improvements in public transport provision. However, the Council clarified that responsibility for bus service provision—including scheduling, reliability, and fleet maintenance—ultimately lies with the NTA and the operators, as set out in the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008. The local authority also noted that the NTA has been made aware of the issues raised by Cllr Meyer, and that the council continues to support public transport infrastructure, including the delivery and maintenance of bus stops and shelters. Elected members, they added, can contact the NTA directly regarding service concerns.
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Green light for McDonald's drive-thru restaurant in Mullingar as ‘vexatious' appeal thrown out
The decision paves the way for the fast food multinational giant to press ahead with the near 5,200 sq ft premises at a site within the town's existing Lakepoint Retail and Business Park. Plans for the single storey premises were originally submitted in December and rubberstamped by local authority planners in February subject to 18 conditions. A total of 35 car parking spaces had similarly been outlined by consultants in planning documents accompanying that submission. Dublin based firm Downey said the proposed near one acre site, in addition to its proximity to other leading retailers such as Elvery's Sport, Woodies and an existing IMC Cinema, offered the potential to strengthen the midland's town's consumer footfall while also creating further jobs in the process. 'The proposed development of a drive-thru restaurant complies with the overall aims of the County Development Plan, with regard to the future growth of Mullingar and the wider county, through the provision of additional employment opportunities and food and beverage offerings,' an excerpt from the planning statement read. In the wake of that decision, McDonald's bosses were dealt a blow a matter of weeks later when an appeal was lodged with the independent planning appeals body. The grounds of that appeal contained 10 points of concern, most notably that the proposed development contravened sustainable planning. Other matters of unease concerned a lack of specified opening hours and suggestions the planned facility would 'deflect traffic' from using the town centre for eating and shopping purposes. McDonald's bosses, in their response, insisted the appeal was 'vexatious in nature' and should be dismissed. The basis for the appeal, they said, was fuelled by a desire to delay the development while rubbishing contentions the development was disproportionate to the car parking capacity of its intended location. 'There is an over provision of 84 car parking spaces serving the retail park following the construction of this proposal,' McDonald's chiefs said. 'As such the site cannot be considered too large of a scale or suggested to take up too much space within the existing car park.' The development, the fast food giant contended, would also provide 'complementary and synergistic' use to Lakepoint Retail and Business Park's existing complement of services and would 'provide employment opportunities' in the locality. In an inspector's report, Coimisiún Pleanála officials ruled against assertions over the development' zoning status while also dismissing arguments over its scale and intended 24 hour operating hours. Those findings ultimately led Coimisiún Pleanála to approve planning subject to 16 conditions, determining how the plans had met appropriate use, scale, height and design requirements and would not impinge on the 'character or visual amenity' of the area.
Irish Examiner
30-06-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Tipperary County Council appeals to owners of pre-purchased graves to 'surrender' them
Tipperary County Council has been forced to appeal for those who may have pre-purchased graves to 'surrender' them due to a shortage. The council made the appeal in a letter published in June, asking landowners within close proximity to New Inn and Knockgraffon to dispose of some land to develop a burial ground. This comes as the council has not been able to secure a suitable site. As it stands, the graveyard at New Inn Church has little to no capacity for new graves. 'This has been a concern for some time and Tipperary County Council has been actively exploring potential sites within the proximity of New Inn for the provision of a new burial ground. Unfortunately, to date, Tipperary County Council has not secured a suitable site for various reasons,' read the letter. The letter continued: "A suitable site has to satisfy the following criteria: (a) the suitability of the site, i.e. soil suitability, ground water levels, rock level, etc; (b) the susceptibility of the site to flooding; (c) archaeological constraints; (d)access, egress and car parking ; and (e) planning compliance with the Council's County Development Plan.' The letter indicated that if a landowner is interested and wishes to explore the possibility of disposing of some of their land to facilitate new burial ground, they can contact the parish office or the Environment and Climate Action Section of Tipperary County Council at 052-6166406. In the meantime, the council has appealed to those who may have pre-purchased double or single graves in the past to consider surrendering the graves unlikely to be used, in an effort to alleviate the current capacity issue. Read More HSE confirms €2.3m investment to improve cancer services in the south west
Irish Independent
23-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Why Wexford villages will be ‘dead in 15 years' unless a way to provide wastewater treatment services in rural areas can be found
And with Uisce Éireann opting to focus its attention on urban areas there is a genuine fear that the county's villages will slowly empty as people search for viable housing options elsewhere. At the June meeting of the New Ross Municipal District (NRMD) Councillor Marty Murphy asked what WCC could do to prevent these villages from dying. 'What is our policy on cluster developments in villages?' he asked. 'Uisce Éireann (UE) is clearly not going to service them so we need to have a plan as a council to allow developments to go ahead with their own wastewater treatment services.' Cllr Murphy received support from Cllr Michael Sheehan. 'My understanding is we can supply wastewater for once-off and linear projects,' he said. 'But places like Ramsgrange are literally going to be dead in 15 years because of the demographics there; people are moving on, there's no houses being built, the schools will end up having to close or amalgamate. We need to try and build 8-10 housing developments in our villages, if we're waiting on UE to do it those villages will be dead.' After the meeting executive planner Eoghan Nolan circulated a section of the County Development Plan (CDP) which went some way towards explaining the council's policy on cluster developments in rural areas. 'There is no specific policy that details the requirements of cluster developments, but these would not be considered in rural areas and only generally only in a designated town, village or rural node.' According to the CDP, the rural nodes in the NRMD include Cushinstown, Poulpeasty, and Horeswood – Ramsgrange is listed as a large village. Broken down into categories the CDP lists Campile, Clonroche, Wellingtonbridge, and Taghmon as 'settlements', and states, 'there are no public wastewater services nor will there be in most of our settlements'. "It is contrary to the plan to provide private shared treatment plants for residential development. Therefore, the houses need to have individual treatment systems at a density acceptable to environment,' the CDP reads.
The Journal
20-06-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Planning permission refused for new filling station on site of Creeslough explosion
PLANNING PERMISSION FOR a new filling station on the site of the explosion in Creeslough, Co Donegal in which ten people were killed has been refused by An Coimisiún Pleanála. Donegal County Council granted permission to Vivo Shell Limited to redevelop a service station and shop at the site in February. The decision was appealed by a number of family members of those killed in the blast in October 2022. Today, An Coimisiún Pleanála – which has replaced An Bord Pleanála – revealed that they are turning down the application. The planning authority said the proposed plan was 'out of character' with its surroundings in the village. The body said: 'Having regard to the existing character and the prevailing pattern of development in Creeslough, it is considered that the proposed development (as amended), by reason of its overall architectural treatment, scale and design, would be out of character with its surroundings, would seriously detract from the architectural character and setting of Creeslough and the streetscape and approach from Letterkenny generally. 'It is considered therefore, that the proposed development would be contrary to Policy ED-P-9, of the County Development Plan, 2024 2023 being of inappropriate layout and building design in the context of the existing landscape. 'To permit the proposed scheme (as amended) at this prominent location could have such a negative effect on the visual amenity and local character of Creeslough as to negatively impact on the wider , long-term regeneration and renewal of the village. 'The proposed development would, therefore, seriously injure the visual amenities of the area and the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.' Advertisement The proposed rebuild had allowed for the demolition of the existing building and the construction of a new structure that includes a shop, post office, deli, off-license, and fuel forecourt. A memorial garden and light-based sculpture with ten metal poles commemorating those who perished in the tragedy was also planned for the site. However, many of the families who lost loved ones in the tragedy said this was an insult to their memory considering they died in the metal and rubble of the blast. The families are still digesting the news which was relayed to them by their legal team and was also delivered by Donegal County Council. In a statement on behalf of the families affected by the tragedy, Phoenix Law said they have welcomed the decision. 'Phoenix Law made detailed submissions to the planning panel on behalf of the families, which were accepted by the panel, granting the appeal,' they said in a statement. 'Proposing development on this site while a criminal investigation is still ongoing was deeply inappropriate. The families believe the ground should be treated with dignity and respect, given the scale of loss and trauma suffered. The initial decision to grant planning permission rubbed salt in the wounds of the families. Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law said: 'Today's decision has restored faith in the rule of law, where victims are treated with dignity and respect. 'We continue to call for a full public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. The families remain committed to seeking truth, accountability and justice.' One of the family members who lost a loved one in the tragedy said 'This is terrific news. When we got the news yesterday that there would not be an oral hearing we were so disappointed and feared the worst. 'This is tremendous news. We simply do not want a new service station on the site in which our loved ones died.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
