A PLANNING crux may result in the loss of up to 29 local jobs. Businessman Michael McGrath, proprietor of the Price Busters chain of discount stores, fears he may have to close his business if Laois County Council insists he take down his central distribution warehouse.

The seven-span warehouse is located at the home of Mr McGrath at Farnans, Crettyard. From there, he supplies his five discount stores in the region. But because of an ongoing dispute with Laois County Council regarding the planning status of the building, Mr McGrath fears that if the council persists in forcing him to dismantle the building, he will have to cease trading.

“The reality is I would have to spend upwards of €40,000 a year to rent a similar building in Carlow, and with trading conditions the way they are at the moment, I simply would not be able to afford that,” said Mr McGrath.

“In reality, that would mean I would not be able to continue the discount business and that would result in the loss of 21 full-time and eight part-time jobs,” he added.

The Price Busters boss recognises that he made a genuine mistake regarding the planning permission he needed for the building in question, but since the dispute arose with the planning authority, he has done everything in his power to try to reach a compromise, including paying €15,000 in fees when he applied for planning retention.

“I originally conducted a recycling business from the premises for almost 25 years. Fourteen years ago, the environmental department inspected the site and informed me that I had to make changes to the site, including a general clean-up as well as putting up a building to store some of the goods and also erecting a concrete hardstand,” the businessman pointed out.

“I did that, and when they carried out a subsequent inspection, they told me everything was in order and I was issued with the necessary permits to continue my business. In 2007, I underwent open heart surgery and after that I could not continue my original business. The following year, I started Price Busters and built the warehouse on the concrete hardstand. That’s where I made the mistake. I believed because the environmental department had approved the hardstand that I could extend it,” Mr McGrath stressed.

In 2009, he applied for retention and says he was told if he paid the necessary fees and posted the notices, everything should be ok. “I paid the €15,000 and posted the notices. No-one objected, but I then got a letter stating the planning authority were not happy with aspects of the application. One aspect related to access to the site, but I pointed out when I had the recycling plant that upwards of 50 vehicles entered and left the site, but now there would be only a maximum of four vehicles. They insisted the volume of traffic would be too high, so I offered to change the entrance/exit. I own the fields on either side of the lane next to me and said I would change the exit, but they still wouldn’t agree,” he said.

“I don’t know what more I can do. They said that wouldn’t be good enough but they have granted permission for a piggery at the rear of my property, which I had no objection to, which already uses this laneway. That is far bigger than the premises I have, and yet, there was no problem with that, but there is with mine. I don’t understand the logic of that, especially when I am willing to make a compromise, and so many jobs are at stake,” Mr McGrath emphasised.

“If I am forced to go ahead and dispose of the central warehouse, that will be the end of the business. I just couldn’t add that cost on to my customers and I certainly could not afford that expense myself.

“I still have all the permits for a recycling yard and if that business was started up again there would be nothing to stop all that extra traffic going back onto the site. I don’t want to do that. All I want to do is try to continue with my current business. I know now the building did not have the proper status in the beginning, but if one government agency was happy with the hardstand, why is it so wrong now?”

The matter goes before the courts again on 11 February, at which time Mr McGrath fears Laois County Council will persist in looking for the building to be taken down.

“Surely common sense can prevail and some compromise can be reached, which will satisfy the county council and allow me to continue in business,” Mr McGrath concluded.