Tuam crematorium proposal not dead and buried just yet

By TONY GALVIN DESPITE a proposal to open the West of Irelandâ€â„¢s first crematorium being shot down in flames by An Bord Pleanála in recent days, the developer has told The Herald that he hopes to see his plan rise Phoenix-like from the ashes in the very near future. Tuam entrepreneur Tommy Varden expressed disappointment that An Bord Pleanála backed Galway Co Councilâ€â„¢s decision to reject his crematorium proposal for Stable Lane, the Mall, Tuam on the grounds that funerals there would be a traffic hazard and a danger to public safety as they would be heading down a cul-de-sac. However, speaking to The Herald, Tommy expressed determination to rekindle his crematorium plan at an alternative site in Tuam. He said he has already been in negotiations with another prominent Tuam businessman who has a more spacious site available and between them they hope to submit an alternative plan. â€Å“Iâ€â„¢m disappointed about the Mall site, but thereâ€â„¢s life in the plan yet. Iâ€â„¢m not giving up at all, Iâ€â„¢ve invested too much money in it. I donâ€â„¢t know whatâ€â„¢s the problem with the planners. During the boom years you couldnâ€â„¢t stand still without some builder planting a house on top of you. Now you try and create a business and they shoot you down. In the immortal words of the great Christy Browne, â€Ëœf*** themâ€â„¢.â€Â[private] No legislation Tommy explained that he understood there was no legislation in this country to govern the building of crematoriums, so our planners were relying on British legislation. â€Å“So much for independence,â€Â he added. He said he could not divulge the identity of the person with whom he is discussing his new plan, except to say he is a well-known businessman who has plenty of experience of his own with the planning process. Tommy Varden has applied for planning permission to build Tuamâ€â„¢s and Co Galwayâ€â„¢s first crematorium on a site he owns at the The Mall, Tuam. His application was turned down by Galway Co Council planners last December but he appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanála. However the planning board agreed with the councilâ€â„¢s findings and rejected the appeal on the grounds that it would be an over-development of the site and because of the lack of parking facilities. Meanwhile, a planning application logged for a second crematorium, this time in Ballinasloe, has been withdrawn by the Loughrea-based developer. The Tuam crematorium proposal has been dogged by controversy since it first came to light. There were objections from the neighbouring medical practice and one from a funeral home in Loughrea. Mr Varden remains adamant that there is a demand for the service and that it will bring jobs and business to Tuam. He had amended his original plan to take into account some of these concerns, reducing the scale of the crematorium building and increasing the parking spaces, but it was not enough to satisfy An Bord Pleanála who put the final nail in the coffin in recent days. Tommy told The Herald that heâ€â„¢s not finished yet and the public should await further developments. [/private]