Supermac’s boss hits out at red tape over stalled Barack Obama style plaza

Mr McDonagh first lodged plans for the motorway plaza on a site in December 2014 and finally secured planning permission at his third attempt from An Bord Pleanála in October 2022.

However, the project has since stalled after Co Clare-based chartered civil engineer Michael Duffy took a High Court judicial review challenge to the An Bord Pleanála permission.

Mr McDonagh said that the planned Ennis project “is a prime example” of red tape in Ireland stagnating projects.

He said: “I can’t say too much about it because it is going to go to the courts.” He said: “For any future projects, I wouldn’t like to be caught up nine years and spent well in excess of €1.5m in costs on it to get what should be a fairly straight-forward grant of permission.” 

Mr McDonagh said that the €1.5m plus has been spent on fees on architects, engineers, surveys and legal costs.

He said: “Our feeling is that we will keep fighting until we get there.” He said that when operational, the plaza will employ between 120 to 140.

Mr McDonagh said that the plaza will be in place in 2025 “if we are lucky enough to be successful”. 

“There is so much red tape attached to things today that it slows down the whole process and unless there is leadership and guidance put into it, it will stagnate the country before very long.

“There seems to be an attitude that it is a free for all to object to anything that is happening.” 

Asked if he wished to comment on Mr McMDonagh’s remarks, Mr Duffy declined to comment. Mr Duffy has claimed that the Appropriate Assessment, which assesses potential adverse effects of projects on Special Areas of Conservation (SCA), lodged with the Supermac’s planning application is flawed and therefore planning permission should not have been granted.

A previous Supermac’s plaza application for the site was mired in controversy after it emerged in 2018 that bogus letters of support were lodged with Clare Co Council.

At the time, Supermac’s stated that it was ‘horrified’ to learn about the bogus letters from the media “and disowns the actions taken and wants to distance itself completely from them”.

The December 2014 application was turned down by An Bord Pleanála in 2016 and Clare County Council granted planning permission for the current scheme in December 2020 and this permission was upheld by An Bord Pleanála in October, 2022.