Council refuses Athlone restaurant plan over number of town centre takeaways

Westmeath County Council has refused permission for a restaurant and take-away on Mardyke Street in Athlone due to what it said would be “an undesirable over-concentration of takeaway and fast-food uses” in the retail centre of the town.

The planning application involved the change of use at ground level of 23 Mardyke Street (the former Stairwell Bar and previously Murphy’s Law) from licensed bar to restaurant/take away.

Signage proposals submitted as part of the planning bid by applicant Muhammad Riaz show that the premises was intended to host a branch of the Pizza Max fast food chain.

The website of the Pizza Max chain said it opened its first branch in Dublin in 2005 and has since "grown into a thriving network of over 70 locations across Ireland and Northern Ireland".

In its decision last week, Westmeath County Council refused permission for the change of use.

It argued that the proposed change of use, by reason of its location within the primary retail core of Athlone Town Centre, would “result in an undesirable over-concentration of takeaway and fast-food uses in the area, to the detriment of the vitality, viability and retail function of the town centre”.

Nothing the prominent location within the Athlone Architectural Conservation Area and adjacent to the public realm regeneration work, the council further said that the nature of the proposed use and signage proposals would “detract from the character, appearance and visual amenities of the Architectural Conservation Area”, “undermine the substantial public investment in the regeneration of the town centre” and “fail to contribute positively to the quality of the pedestrianised streetscape”.

The planning authority concluded that the proposal would be contrary to its policy objectives which seek to prevent an excessive concentration of takeaways in any given area, and to maintain a balanced mix of retail, commercial and community uses.