August decision on massive Tullamore project appeal

An Bord Pleanála is due to make a decision by August 12 next on a proposal for a massive residential and commercial building project which would transform the centre of Tullamore.

Following the rejection by Offaly County Council last month of plans by Cayenne Holdings Limited for a large-scale residential and commercial development known as 'The Distillery Yard' which would see 204 apartments, cafes, restaurants, childcare facilities and eleven retail units being built in six separate blocks on a site known as South Texas lands, in the heart of Tullamore, the project has now been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

In a detailed appeal lodged on behalf of Cayenne Holdings, Stephen Little & Associates, a Dublin-based planning and development consultancy firm has requested An Bord Pleanála to overturn the decision of the Offaly planning authority to refuse permission for the landmark project.

In their detailed appeal, spanning some 130 pages, the proposers of the project state their belief that the proposed development represents “a chance in a lifetime opportunity” to positively transform a key site in the heart of Tullamore in order to “help the town recover from the consequences arising from the out of town developments that have occurred in the past”.

In relation to the height of the proposed development, which was one of the grounds of refusal cited by Offaly County Council, the appeal acknowledges that the development “is taller than existing development in the area” but maintains that the “careful and high-quality design and positioning” of the taller elements of the proposal “reduces the overall scale of these taller buildings” within the town centre, and further adds that the main aim of the project is to provide “a landmark structure” within the heart of Tullamore.

However, in submitting their appeal, Cayenne Holdings Limited has put forward a proposal for a lower density scheme “as an alternative proposition” for An Bord Pleanála to consider. This would see blocks 1, 3 and 4 being reduced by two storeys, and no change to the scale of the remaining three blocks. This would reduce the height of block 3 from 13 storeys to 11, and would see blocks 3 and 4 being reduced from 6 storeys to 4. The appeal states that this alternative scheme would have “no greater or lesser positive or negative impact” on the setting of DE Williams House, which is a protected structure.

The modifications to the height of three of the six blocks in the proposed development would reduce the number of apartments from 204 to 158, according to the appeal documents, and would also reduce the density from 240 units per hectare to 185 units per hectare. Offaly County Council had stated in its refusal letter to the developers that the residential density “”greatly exceeds the density standards” as set out in the guidelines for the site.

In the appeal, the developers expressed their “deep disappointment” with the decision of the Offaly planning authority to refuse planning permission and state their view that “the right answer for Tullamore is for a high density transformative development on this site to take place.”