AN €85 million green energy plant is one step closer to being secured for the outskirts of Shannon town. An application for connection to the national grid has been completed and members of Clare County Council have voted through a motion to zone the proposed site for green industry. Carbon Sole, a wood burning, heat and electricity generating company applied for planning permission to build on the site in Stonehall, in close proximity to the current Aerospace premises.
An amendment put forward by parents and residents in the Stonehall, Shannon and Newmarket areas, with the assistance of Cllr Gerry Flynn, proposed that the E3 Enterprise zoning be removed from the site, was defeated by 17 votes to 12.
Upward of 150 jobs are expected to be created should the plant go ahead, with a further 200 needed for its construction.
And while locals are not against the company coming to the region, they are opposed to the proposed location on a green field site.
Brian McInerney, chairman of the group formed to fight the proposed rezoning said there was disappointment that attempts at preventing the zoning had failed.
“The amendment we had put forward would have seen the site dezoned so it could not be used for industry”, he told the Limerick Post.
“We were proactive in trying to prevent that but now we will need to be reactive.
Adamant that the rezoning was unnecessary, he said there is an adequate landbank available within the industrial estate, making it unnecessary to move out to the country.
“The building is proposed to be up to 45 metres in height, double that of aerospace, and is outside the existing industrial zoned land,” said Mr McInerney.
“This is not just a concern of residents in Stonehall but also of the surrounding areas. Nobody is against Carbon Sole per se, just the rezoning”.
The company is now awaiting the outcome of its planning application before the next step can be taken.
