As it stands, over 300 houses will be built and over 18 THOUSAND square feet of ofices and retail premises (according to a respected local resident who has been through the planning application thoroughly).The increased amount of traffic during building will be such that the developers want to shut down parking on one complete side of Henry Street (apparently without consulting shopkeepers or businessmen in Henry Street ) this together with the vastly increased amount of building lorries entering through the miniscule projected entry points to the site means that we can look forward to even more gridlocked traffic for up to SEVEN YEARS.Many local businessmen forsee the complete closure of all small businesses and retail shops due to this and the projected Huge Supermarket on the site - which in itself will commandeer almost all of the proposed so-called additional parking spaces.(How can they be additional when Henry Street's parking is curtailed by 50% and the supermarket uses the remaining spaces ? All this again without consultation with businesses or residents)The questions of access roads to the site and the non-existent bypass were also raised.

It will of course be necessary to obtain Council permission for any such closure of parking facilities. The developers did not attend the meeting or send representatives (although they were given the same amount of notice that they gave residents to see their project at Sheen Falls Lodge). It was stated that the project could mean the end of Kenmare as a Heritage Town .

The people of the town were not consulted about this project - they were presented with a fait accompli. The questions about the additional water supply and sewerage problems were lightly glossed over - although there is currently NO planned additional water supply other than that currently needed by the existing residents. According to the planning application, some 3 thousand residents have mysteriously appeared in Kenmare (although no-one here seems to know where they are - this was in fact the minimum number required to obtain planning permission. ) Part of the plan includes several FOUR storey buildings - which were stated to be out of character with the town.The Architecture in most residents opinions is also out of character.Although some 18 of the projected houses will be very expensive ones,and the question of who will buy the others was raised particularly as so much empty property already exists in the Town..

Although it seems inevitable that there will be SOME development of the Peninsula site,

This plan does not look as though it's acceptable at all to local residents.

An Hotel is also mooted for a future part of the development.

The questions and points brought up by residents were promised to be answered by tonight (Thursday 6th July) and a report of the questions and the developers responses will appear here on Friday 7th July 2006

We have now received the questions and responses These Appear as scans here CLICK HERE