Crawfordsburn car park row rages on

A WAR of words continues to rage over multi-storey car park plans at Crawfordsburn’s historic Old Inn, it has emerged this week.

Environment Minister Edwin Poots held two separate meetings with Danny Rice, Old Inn chairman, as well as residents and councillors opposed to the application, last Thursday (3rd) afternoon.

The minister’s visit to the picturesque village is the latest development in a bitter planning battle that received  220 objections from the public.

However Crawfordsburn’s Old Inn is free to build what will be its second major project this year, following the recent £2 million restaurant extension.

Earlier this year the Planning Service Management Board (PSMB) threw out a bid by North Down Borough Council to have the application overturned. The PSMB refused to take a second look at the application following a notice of approval by planners.

The planning application was initially received on October 2006, and will replace the existing carpark with a three storey carpark building, along with eight new bedrooms, of which two are replacement rooms, linking into the existing building at The Old Inn.

At the time of going to press, no-one from the Old Inn was available for comment.