Planners block petrol station near Creeslough blast site

HomeNewsUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessWorld of BusinessTechnology of BusinessNYSE Opening BellTechnologyWatch DocumentariesArtificial IntelligenceIntelligence RevolutionAI v the MindTech NowHealthWatch DocumentariesCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of the Earth EarthWatch DocumentariesScienceNatural WondersClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroDiscover the WorldLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesSite searchHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersPlanners block petrol station near Creeslough blast site11 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GooglePATen people were killed in an explosion at the Creeslough service station on 7 October 2022A decision to grant planning permission for a new petrol station near the site of a deadly explosion in Creeslough, County Donegal, four years ago has been overturned.

The blast, which killed 10 people, happened at a service station in the County Donegal village on 7 October 2022.

In March, Donegal County Council approved a planning application permitting the construction of a new service station in the village, close to the site of the blast

On Tuesday, An Coimisiún Pleanála (the Republic of Ireland's planning commission) refused permission following an appeal by some relatives of those killed in the explosion.

The planning commission said a significant portion of the land earmarked for the planned development was zoned as an "amenity area".

That means it is designated for "open space purposes and to make provision for new recreation, leisure and community facilities".

As such, a commercial development on the site, the commission said, would go against the site's designation.

It would also be "contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area" and would "establish an undesirable precedent for future similar developments on amenity zoned lands", the commission said.

Speaking to BBC News NI in March, when the plan was granted permission by Donegal County Council, Áine Flanagan, whose partner Robert Garwe and daughter Shauna Flanagan-Garwe were killed, said the decision to approve the plans was "morally and ethically wrong".

It is the second time a proposal for a new petrol station in the village has been overturned by An Coimisiún Pleanála.

Planning permission for a new development on the actual site of the blast was granted last year but was later overturned following an appeal by the bereaved families.

The most recent application would have seen a new building constructed to include a shop, post office and deli.

The plans also detailed a forecourt, underground fuel storage tanks and pumps, a car wash, outdoor launderette kiosk and an ATM.

The 10 victims of the explosion included four men, three women, two teenagers and a five-year-old girl – all from the village or surrounding areas.

Those who died were Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan-Garwe; Catherine O'Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan; Jessica Gallagher; Martin McGill; James O'Flaherty; Martina Martin; Hugh Kelly; and 14-year-old Leona Harper.

No official explanation has yet been given for the cause of the explosion.

A primary investigation file was forwarded to the Republic's Director of Public Prosecutions last September by Gardaí (Irish police).

Earlier this year Irish police sent a second file to prosecutors that includes "formal recommendations".