Carrick-on-Shannon Councillors will have the ultimate decision on whether a controversial plan for a 3,000 square metre destination centre in the heart of the town will go ahead.
Leitrim County Council CE Lar Power admitted there had been a misunderstanding with a local family over the plans for the development on Main Street at this month's meeting of the local authority.
Up to a dozen supporters of the Geraghty family attended today's meeting of Leitrim County Council in Manorhamilton - where they also unveiled a banner outside.
Two motions regarding the controversial project were on the agenda with Councillor Enda Stenson receiving support for his motion that asked the Council to ensure that it would not discuss any future projects with external parties, until those whom home or businesses may need to be acquired as part of the plan, are spoken to first.
However, Councillor Des Guickian failed to achieve support for his motion that called on the CE to apologise to the Geraghty family and in which he accused the local authority of acting in a "secretive" manner to "forcibly" take the Geraghty family home and business.
CE Lar Power claimed his job was to bring as much investment as possible to the county through various government schemes and over 100 applications for funding had been made last year and the concept was part of this.
He also claimed that he did not need to discuss any concept with anyone before seeking funding and that if the project is approved, it would then have to go to design and planning stage and everyone's constitutional rights would be respected.
He agreed that it was a fair point that the Carrick Town Team should not have been made aware of the project before councillors on Carrick-on-Shannon Municipal District, and he had told the Geraghty family when he met them in late July that the project could fail at any step.
Councillor Finola Armstrong McGuire excused herself from the debate due to what she described as a 'conflict of interest' and Councillors were informed that it will ultimately be a decision for the M.D to approve or reject the concept if it gets to the part 8 planning stage.]
