Roche Ireland has been granted planning permission to allow it clear the site of its plant in Clarecastle.
The facility has been slated for closure for some time, but now Clare County Council has given the company the go ahead to carry out the phased demolition of most infrastructure there.
This decision gives Roche the green light to demolish virtually all existing buildings, structures and infrastructure, on, in and under the site of its existing pharmaceutical plant at Clarehill, Clarecastle.
Supporters hope the works will effectively make the site suitable for another large-scale employer to be interested in setting up base there.
The project has its supporters in the village, with letters backing it sent to Council planners on behalf of Clarecastle Tidy Towns and local GAA clubs.
But it has its critics too, with some objecting to the plan outright and others making submissions to state that while they support the works in principle, they are concerned about disruption caused by the transporting of materials away from the site.
Roche has said this will see an average of fifteen Heavy Goods Vehicles per hour passing through the village during working hours of 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturdays, over a period of three years.
The Council has attached a number of conditions to the planning permission, including that there be no more than 18 truck movements into and out of the site each hour, that air quality levels are monitored, and that Roche make contributions totalling over €1 million to cover the use of public infrastructure.
Their decision may yet be appealed to An Bord Pleanala.
Roche says it looks forward to receiving a formal grant of planning permission that would allow it to begin work on what it says is a strategic project which will deliver benefits to Clarecastle and Co. Clare.
