Planners sink President McAleese’s plan for lakeside home

Plans by Irish President Mary McAleese to build a new lakeside home ran into opposition tonight.

Plans by Irish President Mary McAleese to build a new lakeside home ran into opposition tonight.

Ms McAleese has been told her plans for a two-storey house on the banks of Lough Eidin, near Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Roscommon, have been rejected on the grounds of visual impact and other environmental considerations.

The directive was issued by An Bord Pleanala, the central Irish planning authority, after an appeal lodged by An Taisce, the Irish national trust, in respect of plans submitted by the president’s husband, Martin McAleese.

The board overruled Roscommon County Council by declaring that the building, complete with a lakeside jetty, would be visually intrusive and contravene a development plan aimed at protecting an area of ornithological and ecological importance.

There was no comment on the decision today from Aras an Uachtarain, the official home of the president in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

And while there was some welcome for the move’s demonstration of democracy at work - with one commentator comparing it to the Queen having a building scheme turned down - a Roscommon radio station was swamped with calls from locals opposing the planning authority ruling and who liked the idea of having the head of state as a neighbour.

Seamus Duke, of Shannonside FM, reported: ‘‘There has been a very, very angry reaction from a lot of people.’’

The anger was reflected across political boundaries.

Local parliamentary representative and former justice minister Sean Doherty, like Ms McAleese a member of the Fianna Fail party, said: ‘‘I am absolutely devastated and appalled by this.

‘‘We are proud that the president of Ireland has her family roots in this county and the fact that this should have happened is a devastating blow.’’

Mr Duke said: ‘‘The majority of people in the area hope there will be another application for planning permission. The whole role of An Taisce is being called into question. They are getting a lot of stick in the area today.

‘‘President McAleese is very, very well liked around here and is a local.’’

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