Plans to turn Wicklow pub and café into apartments have been refused
The Wicklow PeopleWicklow County Council has refused plans that would transform the former Farrier’s Inn pub and café in Kilcashel, Avoca, into a six-apartment development.
Submitted by Thornport Unlimited Company, the application sought permission for a change of use, incorporating mostly internal alterations (and some minor external alterations to provide a new window and door openings) to replace the vacant pub at ground floor level and restaurant at first floor level with one studio apartment and five two-bedroom apartments.
Seven car parking spaces and 14 bicycle spaces would also have been created, alongside a private amenity space in the form of terraces to the south of the building.
Three planning applications stretching back to the mid-2000s have been lodged on the 0.210-hectare site, which is bounded to the west and south by forest lands and to the east and north by the R752.
Commenting on the potential visual impact of the proposed development, a planning report produced by Hughes Planning & Development
Consultants on behalf of the developer noted that the provision of the accommodation within the existing buildings at The Farrier’s Inn would have “minimal impact on the visual amenities in the surrounding area.”
“This is achieved through the fact that the development only includes minor works to the exterior of the building to provide access to unit 5, and we submit it does not detract from the character of the area,” it continues.
“It is considered that the proposed works will not negatively impact the immediate area due to the majority of works being internal alterations to a vacant unit.”
Submitting that the development is consistent with the policies and objectives included in the Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028, the report stated that, because of the increasing population of Ireland, “the number of residential units needed to support a community is growing and so the development of infrastructure to accommodate this is crucial in ensuring equitable housing and accessibility for the society”.
“It is submitted that the proposal is in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, and as such, we request that permission be granted in this instance,” the report concluded.
In its ruling Wicklow County Council found the six residences would be materially different in character, have differing traffic movement, patterns of usage, and amenity requirements to usage as a public house/ restaurant.
Submissions were made as part of the planning process including one from Cllr Peir Leonard who welcomed the reuse of the vacant building and the creation of housing in principle, but raised several planning concerns regarding flood risk and pollution .
The submission reads: “The documentation lacks a proper site-specific flood risk assessment as required by Planning Guidelines, which is deemed a serious failing due to the site's nature and known surface water issues in the Avoca area.
“The proposed development, including an estimated seven toilet bowls, seven wash hand basins, seven showers, and seven washing machines, poses a risk of waste being detrimental to the river during increasingly frequent flooding events associated with global warming.”