An Taisce is appealing against the planning approval, granted recently by North Tipperary County Council, for a proposed €460 million Casino, Sports and Leisure Venue in Co Tipperary.
According to An Taisce, the Tipperary Venue to be built on a 900-acre site at Two-Mile-Borris outside Thurles and planned by Tipperary businessman Richard Quirke, would contravene national, regional and local authority development plan policies on sustainable development.
Richard Quirke and his investors claim that the development would provide 2,000 jobs when complete and 1,000 jobs during the construction period.
In their 17-page appeal, An Taisce state that there is no legislation allowing for a casino in Ireland and say that Mr Quirke’s application is based on an unsustainable development model, depending on air travel from all over the world and car dependence for visitors from within the Irish state.
An Taisce also state that a number of the project’s features, particularly the entertainment venue, would be better suited to one of Munster’s three gateway cities such as Cork, Limerick or Waterford.
An Taisce further state that the proposal is in contravention of the National Spatial Strategy, the Mid-West Regional Planning Guidelines, the county development plan, the transport guidelines and fails to address Failte Ireland’s environmental action plan for tourism.
It was a harebrained scheme anyhow, never destined to go any further than the planning process with the sole reason for it’s existence as that of getting votes. Anyone anywhere can lodge a planning application for anything. Hmmmm, I might lodge an application for a space shuttle launching pad. That would create 1000’s of jobs. Then factories could build up around it making parts for space shuttles, we’d attract lots of R&D and foreign investment to Tipp. With all those jobs to be created I would surely be elected. What?….The planning was refused!? And there I was trying to do my best for the area. It’s a complete joke.
Very sad that these guys have to stand in the way of jobs. Even it it is unsustainable, this is a private project which will create jobs with private money. If the project fails later, nobody has lost anything other than the private investors.
Do they think that if this does not go ahead, that all the people in Ireland will sit at home every weekend not making an emissions.
While I possibly agree with you, do take a look at all the Ghost Estates around Ireland presently and while investors should have taken responsibility, who is now paying for their dreaming and greed? Best to have projects like this discussed publically to the later benifit of all concerned.
I would presume that the backers would have to borrow the money in the first place to build such a project. I would be very surprised if they happen to have €460 million lying around waiting to invest somewhere. How many ghost hotels with empty rooms are scattered around the country? The Munster Hotel in Thurles, just down the road, is closed as far as I know
And if the plan contravenes “national, regional and local authority development plan policies on sustainable development” what were the local authority doing granting planning in the first place?
I’m all for creating jobs, who isn’t. But if job announcements are going to be made, at least let them be for real jobs that will actually materialise and not be dependent on 101 other factors that need to fall into place before the sod can be turned.
My understanding was that it would be funded via private venture capital. Can you really see a bank lending for such a development at the moment. There is a big difference between private investors funding such a development and a bank funding a farmers foray into property development.
If the money was to come from our newly nationalised banks or from the government I would be worried, but it isn’t. Its a bit late to get cautious anyway, the time to be cautious was 3 years ago while farmers and taxi drivers were giving us investment advice.
And any how, lets look at the real reason for the objection:
An Taisce are upset because of possible emissions, so you could argue that they actually think the project will succeed, because otherwise they would not have to worry about emissions at all.
Will someone wake up and smell the coffee? Cost of Thurles new swimming pool – €17 million. Proposed cost of this development – €460 million. Which means it would have to generate a tourism/leisure return of around €70 million p.a to meet costs and give investors a return. Current tourism spend in all of Tipperary per annum approx €8 million. So before it goes bust the new Venue would have to suck the life-blood out of existing hotels, golf courses, dog-tracks, race-courses, equestrian centres, wedding venues etc as well as generating massive amounts of new tourism income and still wouldn’t be able to stay afloat. That is why it is not sustainable development. And, Noel, when it fails it won’t just be private investors who have lost money, it will be the people of Tipperary who will have lost all the small local tourism and leisure businesses which currently provide employment and services and make this a thriving community.
Hi Realt,
Just to correct you on one point-“Cost of Thurles new swimming pool – €17 million” – Loosing approx I believe €80,000 per year since it opened. We won’t discuss losses incurred in running a public toilet in Parnell St, Thurles.
This new development is good providing it is sustainable. It is my belief that this venture is not sustainable and like you, I believe it will suck the town dry, forcing hotels, guest houses and similar services to pack up and become valueless, while offering short term gain to the construction and associated sectors. Already Thurles Race track have publically stated their intention to cease. We have experienced 10 years of this type of reckless greed and many actually believe we can continue in a similar vein for the next 10 years and someone else will be asked to pay.
Personally I would not invest a cent in this project, but I am sure there are plenty who will be prepared to gamble, at the expence of tumble weed blowing down Liberty Square.
Wishing you a merry Xmas and trusting you have your Truffles, black Caviar, Exposé Magazine and other essential luxury traditional Irish Christmas delicacies all sorted.
Hi George,
Thanks for the figures on the swimming pool – just adds weight to the argument that the casino could never be financially viable. As for Xmas, I intend being coptered out of my whited out White House and off to Aspen for some decent skiing. Getting fed up with losing control of the Jag on the N.Tipp pistes. Maybe see you over there for a magnum of Krystal to toast in the New Year with?
You know what it is, let anyone try to do something worthwhile and interesting in this country with their own dough (no one else’s, note) and in a trice we are up to our ears in idiots, laying down the law about lack of sustainability and so forth, said idiots not putting up a thin dime for it themselves. The whole thing sounds like a good idea to me; I would love to see it succeed and the begrudgers left with egg on their faces, just as they were when Knock Airport and TnaG got going. Cheers, John
( Small part of comment removed, as could be deemed offensive to women.)
The casino will be a great venture for Thurles. This is where Thurles will gain 100% International Tourism, visiting the area every year and goodness knows this is why the business and Tipperary Tourism should back this adventure.In the long run Thurles and the South will gain exactly what you need to promote the South and especially Thurles. We have a great casino here on the Gold Coast and I can assure you it is a great sucess and it will be the same in Thurles. Keep the faith.
Katie.