An application to build 30 houses at a site in north Westmeath may not be the green shoot of recovery it seems, after it was revealed that the applicant company had receivers appointed in October.
Sabrata Ltd, with an address at Kempton Court, Navan Road, Dublin 7 originally applied to build 30 homes at “The Paddocks”, Dublin Road, Castlepollard in 2005. The firm built 10 of them and sold eight in the interim, and in December 2010 applied to Westmeath County Council to extend this permission.
However, in October, Russell Brennan Keane was appointed receiver and manager of Sabrata Ltd by Ulster Bank. A decision on the application is not due until the end of February.
Elsewhere in the county, a firm from Galway called Luxury Homes Ltd has applied to build six houses at Cois na hAbhainn, Station Road, Moate by changing the design of six units which had been previously permitted.
Also in Moate, Denis Naughton is looking to convert a dwelling on Main Street into a fast food takeaway with an apartment over.
On the opposite end of the fitness scale in Moate, the board of management of Oliver Plunkett NS on Jones Lake Road has applied to build a new, covered bike shed with a walkway connecting to the school.
In Mullingar, a company called Quest Homes has sought permission to build three apartments and three duplexes at a site in Central Park, off Bishopgate Street.
In the centre of town Pauline Kinsella is hoping to demolish the existing smoking area and fire escape at the rear of the Final Fence night club on Oliver Plunkett Street, and redesign both with a new store, office, and lobby incorporated.
The only granting of permission of note in the county in the last three weeks was to John and Anne Wylie to retain changes made at La Guitarra restaurant on the other side of Oliver Plunkett Street.
The lack of activity in the planning world supports the statement of county manager Danny McLoughlin at the annual budget meeting of Athlone Town Council earlier this week when, explaining how the town council was only factoring in €65,000 in planning fees for 2011, pointed out that the county employed five planners in 2006, and was now just employing two.
