Cork County councillors yesterday deferred a decision on granting planning permission to the biggest-ever retail development outside of Dublin, saying they needed more time to consider it as it contravened the council's own development plan.
Councillors strongly criticised council officials, who recommended that council grant planning permission for the shopping and industrial development planned by O'Flynn Construction at East Gate, Little Island.
The development, originally priced at £100 million, included 300,000 sq ft retail space together with retail warehousing, a cinema complex, pub/restaurant, bank, video stores and office and hi-tech industrial units on a 114-acre site.
Planning permission for this was refused, but O'Flynn Construction has submitted a revised plan for a reduced site - minus the cineplex, service station and pub - and the retail space being reduced to 150,000 sq ft.
Yesterday, Cork County Manager Mr Noel Dillon recommended to councillors - whose permission is required for a material contravention of the County Development plan - that they grant planning permission for the project.
The amended proposal was "a realistic compromise between best planning theory and market reality", he said.
But Bantry-based Fianna Fail councillor Mr Vivion O'Callaghan said councillors were being asked to decide on "the single biggest development ever before the council" without having received any detailed information from council planners. "Only for Michael O'Flynn himself providing us with some details, it could have been Disneyland we were being asked to vote on - we've had no discussion - and we're being asked to pass a material contravention of our county development plan."
Mr O'Callaghan pointed out that the East Gate development was in area zoned for light industry and yet the council had refused an application for a similar £35 million shopping complex just 300 yards away in an area zoned as commercial and retail land.
That development, by a company called Centrepoint in conjunction with Dunnes Stores near Dunkettle roundabout, involved the construction of a 150,000 sq ft retail centre together with a two-storey cinema, petrol station and restaurant, he said.