Green light for plans to breathe new life into protected Tipperary hall
Plans to turn a protected former parochial hall in Tipperary into a mixed-use development have been given the green light by the county council.
Declan Beary had applied to Tipperary County Council for permission to turn the parochial hall on the Main Street in Cappawhite into a mixed-use development.
Plans include a hairdressing salon on the ground floor, along with four new apartments – two at ground level and two on the first floor.
Three of the apartments will have one bedroom and accommodate two people, while the fourth will have two bedrooms and accommodate three people.
Plans were originally for four two-bedroom apartments, but council planners raised concerns that the homes wouldn’t meet minimum requirements for space.
Planners also had concerns about the original plans for bin storage for the apartments, saying that the original proposals did not seem “feasible” and “is likely to result in bins being left on the public footpath,” planning files show.
In a further information submission, an agent acting on behalf of Mr Beary said that they had now allowed for a designated bin storage area for all of the apartments in one of the old toilet blocks to the rear of the parochial hall.
Planning permission for the development was granted, subject to seven conditions.
Originally built in the 1930s, the Cappawhite parochial hall is a protected structure, and the change of use would include the conservation of the entire building, according to planning files.
A conservation report submitted as part of the planning application states that the hall has had many uses since it was built in 1931, including the first rural vocational school in Ireland in 1931, as well as the local courthouse and a social hub, hosting dances, bingo and events throughout the years.
However, the community’s needs outgrew the parochial hall, and in 2004, a new community resource centre opened to serve the village, causing the hall to sit vacant for a number of years.
Many elements of the existing building will be retained as part of the works, the conservation agent said, with the windows being retained and used, the timber floors will also be insulated and relaid in their existing form, while the stage that has been built in the hall will be dismantled, with the timber from this being used elsewhere in the property.
No parking is being proposed as part of the development, according to the planning files.
“It is [Mr Beary’s] intention to conserve and reuse the structure, to ensure it remains vital for successive generations,” the agent said.
Included in the conditions are that all works carried out on the site will be overseen by a qualified conservation professional as the building is protected.
Planners also stipulated that no additional signage apart from those proposed as part of the planning permission be added to the outside of the building, and that Mr Beary pay the council a financial contribution of €1,963 for connections to public infrastructure.