Curbs lifted as Adare bypass plans unveiled

BLANKET planning restrictions in place around the village of Adare were lifted yesterday when Limerick County Council unveiled four route options for a proposed bypass.

All planning applications in a so-called red box zone were on hold for the past four years while the route of the bypass was finalised.

But yesterday the red box zone was reduced with the publication of four bypass route options.

The bypass options went on display at the Dunraven Arms Hotel as part of the public consultation process.

Submissions will be accepted up to December 3 on the route options and the final route will be selected early in January.

Adare is a sought-after residential area and prime sites can fetch up to €750,000 along the banks of the Maigue.

The red box zone covered an area of 44 sq km. Now 80% of that area has been opened up for planning applications.

Cllr Niall Collins said: “People have been unable to move on with their lives and build homes in the Adare area because of this red box zone.

Young couples have been unable to buy sites to build on and local landowners have been unable to sell land for sites and planning has not been available.

“Some residents in the village who wanted to buy a site and build on the outskirts of the village have been unable to do so. This meant very little property was coming on the market in the village itself due to the freeze in property movement locally.”

However, some local resident find themselves still tied into the reduced red box.

Mrs Marie Roche of Clonshire said she is concerned that one of the proposed routes of the new bypass runs near her house.

She also has a site near her house which she said would fetch €200,000.

“However, I cannot sell it for the moment as it is still in the zone,” she said.

Another local resident, Ray Desmond, said he had many friends who have been caught in the red box planning hold-up.

“Now they will be able to move on and get a site and process their planning,” he said. Detailed maps of the four route options for the proposed bypass will remain on display at the Dunraven Arms Hotel today as part of the public consultation process.