Planning permission for a service station adjacent to the site of the Creeslough tragedy in Co Donegal, in which 10 people were killed, has been refused.
Donegal County Council had granted permission for the service station last March. However, that decision was appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála by a number of family members of those who died.
Several families bereaved by the October 7th, 2022, explosion had objected to the application, saying it would be “profoundly insulting and disrespectful”.
An Coimisiún Pleanála has now upheld the appeal and refused permission for the service station after considering submissions on the file and the planning inspector’s report at meetings in August and September.
The commission found that a significant portion of the appeal site is designated as an “Amenity Area”, with an objective “to reserve and enhance” the locality.
The decision can still be challenged by way of judicial review in the High Court.
The bereaved families have welcomed the decision to overturn the original planning permission.
Donna Harper, who lost her 14-year-old daughter Leona in the tragedy, said the families had never been against a new service station being put in the village. She said it was the location of both applications that they objected to.
“We are fully aware that Creeslough needs a shop and service station, everyone can see that,” she said. “We just felt that the location of both of these locations was insensitive and that is why we objected to them.”
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This is the second proposal by siblings Annette and Danny Martin Lafferty for a service station.
The first application centred on the site of the original explosion, and was granted by Donegal County Council but refused by An Coimisiún Pleanála.
This second application sought to demolish an existing dwelling and construct a new building incorporating a shop, post office, off-licence, store and deli.
Plans also included a forecourt, underground fuel storage tanks and pumps, toilets, staff facilities, a car wash, outdoor launderette kiosk, fuel bunker storage, ATM and associated signage.
Donegal County Council granted permission for the development on March 26th, subject to conditions.
The decision to turn down the new application comes less than a week after more than 200 people gathered at the site of the tragedy to mark its fourth anniversary.
Bereaved families once again spoke of their continuing grief and renewed their calls for truth, justice and answers to their questions as to how the tragedy happened.
The names of the 10 people who died were read out by Fr John Joe Duffy at 3.17pm, the time the explosion occurred.