Council rejects plan for guesthouse at derelict Athlone site

A plan to turn a derelict house in the Willow Park area of Athlone into a 17-bedroom guesthouse has been refused planning permission by Westmeath County Council.

The development was proposed at 4 Kilmacaugh Avenue, with the planning application submitted by Cloudview Properties Ltd, the owner of the nearby Daly Apartments complex opposite TUS in Athlone.

The planning application sought approval for a "guest accommodation development incorporating an existing derelict dwelling, along with the construction of two extensions to the side and rear of (the) existing derelict dwelling to provide for 17 bedrooms."

A letter of support for the project was submitted by local councillor Aengus O'Rourke, who described the site in question as an "eyesore" which had been "the source of a significant amount of problems for the people living in the locality and for Westmeath County Council."

However, in a decision dated April 4, the local authority refused permission for the guesthouse project.

A planning report by Yvonne Haughey, executive planner with Westmeath County Council, said there was "limited" information submitted with the planning application with regard to how the proposed guesthouse would operate.

"No details have been submitted with regard to the staffing of this guesthouse, management of same (or) justification for the need for this change of use to guesthouse at this location," Ms Haughey wrote.

She queried the layout of the proposed guesthouse, stating that there "appears to be no staff quarters/facilities or in-house accommodation for staff/manager".

The council planner felt that the internal layout of the facility "fails to reflect quality internal accommodation," adding that access to two of the bedrooms was "via the kitchen and dining/living areas," and that this arrangement was "not acceptable".

The planning report went on to say that the proposed kitchen area was "notably small to cater for a 17 bed commercial development which can sleep circa 25 guests.""There are no windows serving the kitchen and ventilation of this room is unclear," it was added.

The report also noted that a number of the proposed bedrooms did not have their own en-suite facilities, which was queried because it was "unusual in a new build".

"No proposals have been presented with regard to the management of this development, to the nature of the service being provided, and the number of associated staff proposed," the planning report stated."Based on internal layout submitted the proposed development reflects a hostel style accommodation layout with self-catering facilities."

It was noted that development plan standards required one car space per bedroom, equating to 17 car spaces, but that only nine were provided for in the planning application.

Westmeath County Council refused permission for the development on the basis that its "scale and bulk" would be "incongruous" with "the character, context and setting" of the application site.

It added that the proposal had a "visually obtrusive" design and that Cloudview Properties Ltd had "failed to justify the need for a guesthouse of this scale" at the Kilmacaugh Avenue location.