Longford officials have been left stunned by An Bord Pleanala's decision to refuse planning permission for their proposed EUR3 million Centre of Excellence.

The future of the Killashee development, which was to provide state-of-the-art facilities for Longford's inter-county sides, is now up in the air with county board officials set to consult with experts over the next week to see if the ambitious project can be rescued.

"The An Bord Pleanala decision is a major disappointment. At the very least, it will set up back 18 months," Longford chairman Pat Cahill told the Irish Independent.

"We now have to sit down with our planning experts and see how best to proceed from here."

An Bord Pleanala found that the proposed development, which included three full-size training pitches, a large clubhouse as well as various other facilities would "adversely affect the high amenity and landscape quality" of the area.

Cahill added: "The centre would have been a huge help to us, but obviously we now have to look at all the options and try to make sure we get planning permission. Apart altogether from the loss to our various squads, it's a setback to the local economy that the building of the centre has been delayed. It would have created good employment at a time when it's badly needed in the county." Tweet

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