By Dan Walsh at Enniscorthy Municipal Council monthly meeting
Last Saturday an estimated 600 people marched through Enniscorthy town in opposition to the proposed IPAS Centre for the old Mercy Convent at Templeshannon.
“The crowd would have been much bigger than it was had the weather been clear and dry,” said Cllr Jackser Owens at Tuesday’s meeting of Enniscorthy Municipal District Council held in the Presentation Centre.
Cllr Owens was one of only two public representatives who supported the protesters – the other was Cllr Paddy Kavanagh – and both addressed the attendance on the day.
At Tuesday’s meeting Cathaoirleach Cllr Aidan Browne welcomed the Council’s decision to enforce the requirement for planning permission that will require the applicant to either appeal or re-apply.
Cllr Browne said that “maybe the Council can approach the owner of the building and see about buying the property and have assisted living there.”
Cllr Owens told the meeting that he is “delighted now that it has gone to planning, so we will see what will happen. Hopefully the outcome will be in the people’s favour.”
Then Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy closed the discussion when she stated, “the decision can be appealed to An Bord Pleanála which means it is still a ‘live’ planning issue, so we probably should not be discussing it here in the chamber.”
“We just need to be aware of what we are saying,” she concluded.
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