A proposal to build major sports hub on lands adjacent to the Loughrea bypass look set to miss the cut as a result of national planning legislation.

Area councillors rejected recommendations from the planning regulator and county planners in July and voted to zone the lands on the edge of the town for community facilities by way of material alteration.

In an effort to reduce the chances of it being referred to the Minister by the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR), the councillors agreed to remove a part of the land identified as a flood risk from the area for rezoning – but their efforts appear to have been in vain.

The OPR has written to the Minister, Alan Dillon, to share its opinion that the Local Area Plan (LAP) agreed by councillors is ‘inconsistent’ with the OPR’s recommendations and with the objectives of the County Development Plan which was approved by councillors in 2021.

“No adequate reasons relating to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area have been provided to explain why the planning authority has decided to retain the material alteration,” states the OPR in its letter to the minister.

By rejecting the OPR’s recommendation not to go ahead with the rezoning, councillors were contravening the Planning and Development Act “which requires local area plans to be consistent with the objectives of the County Development Plan and any regional spatial and economic strategy that applies to the area of the Local Area Plan”.

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