A controversial development in Buncrana, Co Donegal, on the shores of Lough Swilly has been approved by An Bord Pleanála despite vehement opposition from some residents and the local council.
Buncrana Town Council last year rejected a developer's proposals to demolish the disused former Fruit of the Loom clothing factory and turn it into a massive apartment and retail complex.
However the planning board overrode the local council yesterday and approved the proposal by Jansu Developments for 54 apartments, a 7,600sq m retail development and 558 car park spaces.
Jansu Developments had appealed the town council's decision.
The Buncrana apartments will have balconies and terraces overlooking Lough Swilly.
Some locals said the six-acre development, which also features a medical centre, was wildly out of scale for a town with about 6,500 residents.
Liam Rainey, a spokesman for the Buncrana Shore Front Residents Association, said he was very disappointed by the planning board's decision.
"This is not the site for such a huge and massive development," he said. "The site must be one of the most scenic in the town, if not in Co Donegal."
Mr Rainey added that the commercial element of the proposal would further damage trade to businesses along Buncrana's main street, which had lost customers to two other retail developments.
However An Bord Pleanála disagreed. In its decision released yesterday, it said: "The proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity . . . would not have an adverse impact on the vitality or viability of the town centre and would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety."
As originally proposed, the complex was to rise to seven storeys and feature a 730sq m restaurant/bar, but the developers have agreed to reduce it by two storeys on the western side, to remove 16 units and shrink the size of the restaurant to 335sq m.
Elsewhere in Donegal, a €60 million retail and apartment complex has been proposed for Letterkenny town. The development, to be built on a 10-acre site near Letterkenny Institute of Technology, will feature 200 residential units and 21,000sq m of retail and office space.