Department wants bat survey carried out on westside site

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is calling for a bat survey to be carried out before a final decision can be made on one of the most significant projects proposed for Athlone's Connaught Street in many years.

The request is contained in one of three submissions lodged in relation to Ledbro Ltd's eye-catching proposal for a five-storey residential building with a retail unit arranged over two blocks at 20 Connaught Street, Harry's Lane and 7 Patrick Street.

Lodged back in August, the plan is for 29 apartments, a retail unit, a semi-basement car park, an amenity space and communal open space on the 0.12 hectare site. It would involve the demolition of a derelict two-storey public house and a shed.

Noting that the development site contains a derelict building, the department says due to the lack of activity on this site, there is the potential that it supports a “roost for bats” who are protected under the EU Habitats Directive. Due to the likelihood of bats roosting there, it asks that a bat survey be conducted by a suitably qualified bat ecologist before a final verdict is made.

In addition given the development is large in scale and lies within the Historic Town of Athlone Recorded Monument, the department submission also believes that the “scale, extent and location of the proposed development” could impact on “subsurface archaeological remains”

It recommends that an Archaeological Impact Assessment be prepared to “assess any impact on archaeological remains within the proposed development site”.

The developer argues that the plan forms the basis of a new “urban renewal scheme” which it contends, will remove derelict industrial buildings and replace them with “professionally managed accommodation” built to the highest standards.

The main building is comprised of four storeys with a penthouse level facing onto Connaught Street and Harry's Lane. It will be arranged with six apartments per floor on levels 1-3, three units on ground floor level and five on level four. At level four, the building steps back to the north and west to create a penthouse level, which the planning documents say will allow for generous balconies.

A separate three-storey apartment building situated on Patrick Street has one unit per floor, all with their own door access.

Another submission logged on the Westmeath County Council website is from Sarah Finnerty, Company Secretary, the nominated representative of Gerry Finnerty Building Contractor Ltd. It formally objects to the planning application on behalf of the company, saying the “Site Location Detail” submitted indicates that the “overall site area which is the subject of the application is shown as extending onto ground which is in the long-term ownership of Gerry Finnerty Building Contractor Ltd”.

The nearby Athlone Veterinary Clinic also has concerns about the project, claiming in a submission that the building because of its “scale, mass and building footprint” will cause a “significant negative impact” on the operation of the clinic and surrounding buildings.

It believes the applicant has taken “little or no steps” to ensure the proposed new premises will integrate with the existing vet clinic, surrounding buildings and access points off Patrick Street.

The submission, signed by Gerry Mannion, also articulates worries about the proximity to the rear wall of the clinic, and the impact to the current parking arrangement beside the clinic where an emergency set-down area for injured animals is in operation beside the main front entrance.

He goes on to say that this is a long-standing agreement with Westmeath County Council but the application has removed the parking areas to facilitate sightlines to the new car park, concluding that the removal of the emergency parking area will have a “detrimental effect” on the operation of the clinic and its patrons.

The deadline for submissions to be lodged in relation to the project was September 12, with Westmeath County Council is due to rule on the project by October 3 next.