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Greenlight for €70m Buncrana complex 10.08.07

An Bord Pleanála has approved revised plans for a controversial €70m redevelopment of the former Fruit of the Loom site in Buncrana.
However, the board has attached around 20 conditions to the seaside plans, which have been significantly scaled down.
The approved plan now allows for around 50 luxury apartments instead of the original 70 while the anchor retail store has been reduced in size to around 30,000sq.ft.
The former Fruit of the Loom site in Buncrana. Jansu Developments Ltd., spokesperson Paul Doyle said the company was delighted with the news, delivered at around 4.30pm yesterday.
"This is fantastic news for the town of Buncrana, the local people and of course Jansu Developments. We have waited patiently and believe common sense
has prevailed in the end.
"We look forward now to carrying out the development as soon as we can," he said.
Mr. Doyle, the project manager, said the developers now had to sit down again with the architects and review the conditions imposed by the planning watchdog.
"The main conditions relate to the anchor store which has been reduced to 3,000sq.m or a little over 30,000sq. ft. The height of the buildings have also been reduced by about two floors and the total number of apartments are down to about 50.
"There is a reduction in the size of the bar/restaurant and there is an increase in the amount of civic spaces."
Mr. Doyle said the company now had submit revised proposals taking account of the conditions imposed by An Bord Pleanala to officials in Buncrana Town Council and Donegal County Council for approval. This is just a formality however and shortly after that development is likely to begin.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Buncrana, Cllr. Paul Bradley said while he wasn't totally happy with the overall decision, he welcomed the significant reduction in the scale of the Shore Front development.
"The seven storey apartment block has been reduced to five floors and ten of the proposed single storey apartments that were controversially positioned, have been withdrawn. The size and scale of the restaurant/pub has also been cut in half." Cllr. Bradley welcomed the inclusion into the proposal, by An Bord Pleanala, of Part V of the Development Act. This means that Jansu must allocate 20% of the residential buildings for social and affordable housing.
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