The members of Mayo County Council this week refused to grant a material contravention to the Ballinrobe Local Area Plan which would have paved the way for a new discount supermarket at Friarsquarter West in the town. The material contravention had been put before the members for the September meeting of the council following a report by acting senior planner for Mayo County Council, John McMyler, which was given to the members. None of the members in the chamber proposed granting the contravention so the item failed to be passed. Speaking to the Mayo Advertiser this week, local Fine Gael councillor Michael Burke said that it was not a decision against the retailer who had applied but about the overall proper development of the town.
“The council felt that because there was a very strong submission made by the retailers association in the town that it was best not to approve this contravention. There were 99 signatures on that submission, it was nothing against the company itself, it was just felt it was a premature development. We have already had three material contraventions of the plan for supermarkets and have provided for a discount store on the other side of the town in the plan. We felt it would be a very lopsided development with a lot of big developments located on one side of the town and leaving the other not as developed. As I said there is permission for a discount store on the Neale Road side of the town which would have brought more balance to the overall development of the town and given the traders in the middle of the town a bit more chance of picking up business. It was nothing against the applicant.”
