Donegal Town News and Blog

Yet more Donegal Town planning news: 

Plans to develop the site of Donegal Livestock Mart in Donegal Town are expected to be agreed in the New Year. That’s according to a director at Bennett Construction, the firm behind plans to develop the town centre site at Milltown in Donegal. John White said what takes place on the site will be even more important in light of An Bord Pleanala’s recent decision to refuse planning permission for a retail development which would have included Dunnes Stores at the Mullans. - (OceanFM)

Yet more plans to develop parts of the town, with probable outcomes and infighting amongst the objectors and potential developers. Let’s hope that the New Year will bring some positive news to Donegal Town. A new factory or two to support jobs in the area would be nice.

 Anyways hope you all had a Happy Christmas and Happy New Year!

More Donegal Town news: After hearing great news yesterday, this time it’s not so good.

A €35million euro development for Donegal Town which was to include a Dunnes Stores outlet has been refused the go-ahead by An Bord Pleanala this afternoon. The application, which had the potential to create more than 200 jobs during the construction phase, was refused planning on the grounds of its distance from the town centre and its potential to create what the board called, "serious traffic congestion." The project, spearheaded by Westmeath firm, Bennett Construction, was to have been located on the Killybegs road out of Donegal Town in the townlands of the Mullans and Drumcliffe. It comes less than 48 hours after Donegal county council granted planning permission to one of the objectors to the development, Keeney Construction to develop a mixed use town centre project at a cost of €100million. The Mullans development had been granted planning permission by Donegal County Council but was appealed to An Bord Pleanala on March 16th last. (from Ocean FM)

Exciting news on the Donegal Town development from Ocean FM:

News that a €100million development has been approved for Donegal Town has been broadly welcomed in the area. The development, submitted by Keeney construction, is believed to consist of Tesco Ireland as an anchor tenant, 15 retail units, 250 residential units and almost 1,000 carparking spaces. Developer, Danny Keeney has said he believes it could create employment for up to 1,000 people. It has been granted planning permission at Milltown, on the site of the Magee factory subject to 29 conditions. Chairperson of the local community chamber, Ernan McGettigan said all development is welcome in Donegal Town. Clr Barry O’Neill said proper procedure has been followed in developing from the centre outward. He said even if the development is appealed to An Bord Pleanala, it wouldn’t be stopped from going ahead.

The plans for this that were published in the times a while back look very interesting. Pity the Schooner will have to be knocked, but that’s life. The upper main street has been dying a slow death since the ‘Talk of the Town’ and the old Schooner were busy places. It’ll be good to see that side of the town getting a boost. 

 Highland Radio’s site also states that up to one thousand jobs could be created: "Meanwhile up to a thousand jobs could be created in the South of the County after Donegal County Council granted planning permission for a 100 million euro development in Donegal Town.

The development is located at the existing Magee factory at Milltown and is thought to have ‘Tesco Ireland’ as its anchor tenant.

Community Chamber Chair, Ernan McGettigan, says if the development gets the go ahead Donegal Town may soon be a quality alternative to shopping in Letterkenny."

Here’s an image that was published in a copy of the Donegal Times last year showing how the new Donegal Town centre might look…

Another good Sunday night in Donegal Town, a few quiet pints, then off to the Abbey, then a riot in the Diamond… 

The chairperson of Donegal Town Community Chamber has today called for a new Garda station to be provided for the town following a weekend brawl which involved up to 50 people. No arrests were made following the mini-riot which took place on the Diamond in the early hours of Sunday morning. The fighting is believed to have been sparked by an incident in a local nightclub and involved gangs from Donegal Town and Ballybofey ranging in age from their teens to forties. It lasted from 3am until approximately 4.30am and saw two members of the Garda Siochana sustain minor injuries before one group were sheperded towards a bus and out of town. Reinforcements from Ballyshannon and Bundoran stations as well as the traffic corps were called to the scene. Ernan McGettigan feels a new Garda station with modern facilities is urgently needed in Donegal Town.