Plans lodged to turn former Tipperary pub into gaming centre
A former Clonmel pub could be converted into a gaming centre under new plans lodged with Tipperary County Council.
Coalquay Leisure Ltd has applied for planning permission to change the use of the former Gerry Chawke’s pub on William Street into a gaming centre.
Gerry Chawke’s has been vacant since 2019 after proprietor Gerry Chawke and his wife Anne retired after more than 50 years behind the bar.
Now, the Cork-based company are seeking planning permission to turn the premises into an arcade centre. The company is also seeking retention planning permission for the use of the yard at the rear of the property for storage.
According to planning files submitted with the application, the gaming centre will open from 9am to 1am daily.
This isn’t Coalquay Leisure’s first attempt at developing a gaming centre in Tipperary. The company was granted planning permission to open a facility on Silver Street in Nenagh, despite objectors claiming that “women and children will suffer” if it was allowed to go ahead.
“We do not need another gambling hall,” the objection said. “If passed, women and children will suffer. If you say no, it will help women and children”.
As well as that, the objection to the Nenagh branch said that “gambling is not a business, it is a disease and you hold the cure”.
Another objection stated that the granting of planning permission would represent an overconcentration of this type of premises in Nenagh, and would be “detrimental” to the character of the town and the local community.
“Allowing further development of this kind risks creating an imbalance in the local community,” the objection said.
“A disproportionate number of properties in the same use can erode the mix of residents or businesses, undermining the area’s social fabric,” they noted.
Despite these concerns, Tipperary County Council granted planning permission for the Nenagh development subject to five conditions.
The conditions include that the opening hours be restricted to 9am to 6pm Monday to Sunday, and that rubbish bins only be stored in a designated refuse area.
The company later reapplied to the local authority challenging the condition that the centre would have to close by 6pm, saying that this would make the business “unviable”.
The council granted planning permission for their new Nenagh application, saying that the outlet could open from 10am to 11pm daily.
Tipperary County Council is due to decide on the company’s Clonmel plans by September 22.