Anger locally at planning appeal by an Offaly man against Aldi development
And so the 5pm deadline passed on Wednesday for third party appeals to the decision of Roscommon Co Co to grant permission to Aldi for their development on St. Patrick Street and it has emerged that only one of the origional people who made a submission, has lodged an appeal.
Mr. Brian O’Sullivan, Kilgolan Upper, Ballyboy, Kilcormac, Co. Offaly was one of two who sought an outright refusal of the application at the initial planning stage. (The other objector at planning stage was RGDATA – the Irish trade association representing family-owned grocery shops, convenience stores, and supermarkets).
Now Brian O’Sullivan has lodged an appeal based on Zoning, Archaeology and Architectural Heritage and Traffic Management and Entrance to Development and is seeking An Comisiun Pleanala to overturn the permission granted by Roscommon Co Co and refuse the development. (You can read more on the homepage of Boyletoday.com. Also, you can vote in poll on bottom right of this page)
Mr. O’Sullivan, and anyone else associated with the appeal, have delayed, and maybe put in jeopardy, the single biggest commercial investment in Boyle in many years and the local people are understandably not at all happy with this. Many are also wondering why a person from Co. Offaly is so concerned with the character and architectural merit of Boyle town and St. Patrick Street?
But the project is not lost – it has been appealed. In addition, the fact that there was initially only 4 submissions to the origional application, two of which were objections, show how far we have come in Boyle. If this was in the nineties, chances are there would have been a multitude of objections but we have gone past that here in Boyle. But the fact remains that there is one appeal, albeit it from Co. Offaly, which is most annoying and will only delay the project – that is on the basis that it gets final permission and that the decision of Roscommon Co Co is not overturned by An Comisiun Pleanala.
So, where to from here? The decision to either agree or not with the decision of Roscommon Co Co to grant permission lies with An Comisiun Pleanala, whose inspector will prepare a report and recommendation for the Board. The Board must consider the inspector’s report and recommendation. However, the Board is not required to accept the inspector’s recommendation and has the power to decide something different from what the inspector has recommended. In any case where the Board does not accept the inspector’s recommendation to grant or refuse, the Board will state the reason for not accepting the recommendation. Sometimes the Board may accept the general recommendation such to grant or refuse permission, but can decide to change or remove parts of the proposed development, change one, some or all of the conditions to be attached to the grant of permission, or change the reasons for a refusal.
The Board has a statutory objective to determine strategic infrastructure cases within eighteen weeks. This eighteen-week periods starts on the last day for An Bord Pleanála to receive observations from the public, so in effect we should now know mid June if we will or will not have a new Aldi store in Boyle.
Seeking information on John Francis Cramphorn
On the morning of 18th December 1918, a young British Army soldier died of septic pneumonia (Spanish Flu).
His name was ‘John Francis Cramphorn’, and he was stationed with the 16th Sussex Yeomanry Battalion (Royal Sussex Regiment) at King’s House in Boyle. As part of my research into the life of this young soldier, I would like to hear from any of your viewers who may once have had family or relations living or working in Boyle at the time of the Great War years 1914-1918, and I am particularly interested in hearing any stories that were told about how the local people reacted to having British soldiers in their town. John Cramphorn never saw his family before he died, and he lies buried in Boyle Parish Churchyard. He was 20 yrs old. Please feel free to contact me at: [email protected]. (In the strictest confidence).
Support sought for Emily Rose’s Family With Time Together
A GoFundMe page has recently been set up for a young Boyle girl who has been fighting complex heart and lung conditions since birth. Emily Rose Fagan is daughter of Stephen and Karyn Fagan who live in Greatmeadow in Boyle.
Despite countless surgeries and long hospital stays, Emily Rose continues to bring light and love to everyone around her, but unfortunately after years of treatment, her parents, Stephen and Karyn, have now been told there are no further curative options. Emily Rose’s condition is deteriorating rapidly and the focus has shifted to comfort, care and making the most of the time they have together. Time has suddenly become their most precious and fragile resource.
According to the organisers of the fundraiser, it is about giving Emily Rose’s parents the breathing space to step back from work and spend uninterrupted time with their daughter. Funds will help to relieve the financial stress on the family, allowing them to focus fully on Emily Rose and to make the most of their remaining time. Funds may also allow the family to create small, meaningful experiences together, centred simply on being together as a family and support additional quality of life improvements.
“Over the years, Stephen has been fortunate to work with and support many people across the animation and business communities. If friends, colleagues or connections feel moved to help or share Emily Rose’s story, it would mean more than we can express”.
“All funds raised will go directly into the Emily Rose Trust. The Trust has been established to ensure that funds are used solely to support Emily Rose and to give Stephen and Karyn the time and financial freedom to focus entirely on her during this period, while also supporting improvements to the family’s quality of life”.
“Upon her passing any surplus funds will be distributed by the Emily Rose Trust to The Children’s Heart Centre Crumlin, Cliona’s Kids and Cian’s Kennels”. If you would like to donate to the Emily Rose Trust, you can do so here.
Boyle St. Patrick’s Day Parade plans continue
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade will return to the streets of Boyle March 17th 2026. In order to run the parade, the committee need the help of dedicated volunteers and enough funding to make the day a success. The money raised will be spent on getting insurance, prize money, costumes and all the other costs that go into running a successful parade. If you can donate to the recently organised GoFundMe page here, please do. Every little helps.
Can you help to get a childcare facility for Boyle?
Major efforts are currently taking place to have a community childcare facility in our town. A small but active group are working flat out to see the much needed service can become a reality, but they need your help. The committee are looking for friendly, committed volunteers to join their team. It is planned that the childcare facility will support local children and families and the committee would love to hear from people who have experience in early years / education, finance or accounting, HR or employment, fundraising or grant writing, marketing / social media and leadership or governance. You don’t need to have served on a committee before — just bring your skills, your ideas, and a passion for helping Boyle. Committee members provide strategic support (not day-to-day running of the setting). Interested or want to find out more, please email [email protected]
News snippets from around Boyle
The annual general meeting of St. Joseph’s Hall will be held on Wednesday 25th February at 8p.m. in St. Joseph’s Hall. All are welcome……….Concert in King House on Saturday February 21st at 8p.m. Music Network presents Kevin Burke, Dermot Byrne, Noriana Kennedy and Jim Murray in Concert Tickets online – visitkinghouse.com or
Call 087- 144 4739……….Temporary Part-Time Seasonal Cultural Assistant required in King House, Boyle. Closing date for applications February 26th at 4pm. More here………It was great to see funding allocated to major road projects that will affect motorists from this area but it is understood construction on the Carrick By Pass will not be constructed until at least 2028, while the Newtownforbes to Mullingar section of the N4 won’t commence until 2030………Deputy Kirrane and Councillor Cull monthly Constituency Clinic in the Spool factory this Saturday.
And finally…!
On their honeymoon, the newly married bride slipped into her marital bed, with great anticipation of what their first night together would bring, only to find her new Catholic husband had settled down on the couch.
When she asked him why he was apparently not going to consummate their marriage, he replied, ‘It’s Lent.’
In tears, she sobbed, ‘Well, that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!
‘Who did you lend it to and for how long?’
