Tesco to pay less for Kinnegad development

Tesco Ireland must now continue with the development of a brand new retail outlet on Kinnegad"s old Athlone Road, after An Bord Pleanála ruled on its appeal against the fee imposed by Westmeath County Council for the construction of a roundabout as part of the project.In March, Westmeath County Council had granted Tesco planning permission to build a single level service store in Kinnegad, subject to eighteen conditions.One of these, Condition no. 13, ruled that Tesco pay €450,000 'towards the cost of road infrastructure and traffic management including a roundabout and all ancillary works which will facilitate the proposed development'.The grant of permission was subject to an appeal by Farbill Holdings, the developers behind the proposed new town centre for Kinnegad, plans for which were turned down by the Council in April. Condition no. 13 was appealed by Tesco Ireland itself.While the Farbill appeal was withdrawn in recent weeks, the remaining item to be considered by An Bord Pleanála was Tesco"s contribution appeal. The Board ruled that Tesco must pay fifty per cent towards the cost of the roundabout, or a reduced figure of €300,000, 25 percent less than the original fee imposed by the Council.Tesco Ireland, the Board said, had found the original fee 'excessive because the amount calculated has been based only on the benefit enjoyed by the "Tesco" and "Farbill" sites, and has not included the benefit to other adjoining lands which will benefit from this proposed roundabout.''However, it is not considered reasonable that the applicant should be required to make a financial contribution towards the cost of land acquisition from other parties, particularly having regard to the applicant"s willingness to cede land in this regard,' the Board concluded.A busy weekend in KinnegadChristmas hasn"t yet arrived, and already there"s a festive atmosphere in Kinnegad.Saturday night will see one of the busiest nights of the year in the town, with four separate events taking place on one night.The most noteworthy of these is the community"s pre-Christmas celebrations, which include the switching on of the Christmas lights at 6.30pm on Saturday evening, to the tune of Christmas carols.After 7pm Mass, at the Hilamar Hotel, the 2009 Kinnegad Church Centenary Calendar will be launched, featuring twelve images of historical Kinnegad - one for each month. The A3 calendar costs €5, and would make a great Christmas gift for people living abroad.Refreshments will be served afterwards, and all are welcome to attend.At 9pm, the calendar launch will be promptly followed by the Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA Annual Dinner Dance, also in the Hilamar Hotel; while in 10pm until the wee hours of Sunday, December 14, a party will be held in Bracken"s of Kinnegad, to celebrate the town"s recent success in the National Pride of Place Competition.Local GAA meetingThe Annual General Meeting of Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA Club will take place in the club"s GAA Pavilion on the Mullingar Road on Friday next next, December 12, starting at 8.30pm sharp. All members, club officials and players are requested to attend.Twenty-six draws to solve Clonard conundrumThere has been a great amount of interest shown in the Clonard GAA and Community Development Lotto Draw in both Kinnegad and Clonard in recent months, with the total prize pool skyrocketing to over €24,000 in both draws.The first draw reached its licensed limit of €12,800 a long time ago, and the second draw looks set to do the same in the near future, with not a jackpot winner in sight.To bring the first draw to a satisfactorily conclusion, the organisers have elected to break the jackpot fund into twenty-six prizes of €500 in a monster Christmas draw.Last week"s draw, yet again, yielded no jackpot winners, with Maureen Farrelly, Annemarie Lee, Tiger Sherwood, Joe Bracken and 'Killer' sharing €150 in match three prizes.Meanwhile, there was also no jackpot winner in the latest Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA Lucky Numbers Draw.The numbers drawn were 2, 4, 8 and 19, and there were five winners, each of whom share €200: Patricia Cooney, Pamela Kiernan, Maureen Dardis, John Tobin and Frances McCann.