OPW to be asked to buy McNamara site at cut price
Lisdoonvarna native Mr McNamara, along with local developers, Sean Lyne and Noel Connellan, are the directors of Dwellblin Construction Ltd, which owns the two-acre site adjacent to Ennis’s historic Abbey.
Documents recently filed with the Companies Office show that a separate company controlled by the three, Radoo Lands Ltd, recorded an €8 million write-down in 2009 relating to their shares in Dwellblin Construction Ltd.
The write-down contributed to Radoo Lands Ltd incurring a loss of over €15.5m in 2009. Dwellblin Construction Ltd secured conditional planning permission for 46 apartments on the site in 2004.
At last night’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, Cllr Brian Meaney (Green) said the three purchased the site to advance their plans for their ill-fated €350m proposal to transform the GAA-owned Cusack Park into a major shopping quarter. Cusack Park lies adjacent to Ennis Abbey and Mr Meaney said the site was purchased to allow improved access to their Cusack Park shopping quarter.
Clare GAA had entered a deal to sell the 10-acre Cusack Park site with the three businessmen for €86m, but the deal was scuppered in 2008 after councillors agreed that the grounds should remain open space.
Mr Meaney told last night’s meeting that the two acre Dwellblin site was bought in the past for €5m and the selling agent for the site also told him before the meeting that Dwellblin has turned down an offer of €500,000 and would be willing to accept €750,000.
The documents show that Ulster Bank is Dwellblin’s banker.
Proposing that the council request the OPW to investigate the possibility of purchasing the site, Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said that he had never had any connection whatsoever with the three developers concerned.
Mr Flynn’s proposal received broad support with town mayor, Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) and Cllr Peter Considine (FF) endorsing the motion.
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