Bat prevents diocese from making a killing on land sale

The protected lesser horseshoe bat has put paid to hopes in the diocese of Killaloe from making a financial killing from the sale of a large parcel of land to interested developers.

This follows the acting CSO of Clare County Council, Ger Dollard, rejecting a request by the Killaloe Diocesan Trust to rezone a buffer zone to the west of Ennis in the new draft Clare County Development Plan.

The diocese owns a 68-acre site in the Ashline/Beechpark area that contains a number of zonings, including recreation, low-density residential, residential, community, and buffer space.