Plans for guesthouse in Birr town centre refused

Plans for a six-bedroom guesthouse in Birr town centre have been refused.

The building on Main Street at 1 Market Square formerly housed Hackett's Bookmakers, which is listed on the Record of Protected Structures.

A planning application lodged with Offaly County Council in October last included plans to convert the building from a commercial unit to a six-bedroom guesthouse.

A decision was made on Sunday, April 10, with the application being refused for two reasons.

Offaly County Council listed the first reason for the refusal as “insufficient information” due to the lack of an Architectural Heritage Impact Assessment to show that converting the building into six units will not “compromise the architectural integrity and special character” of the protected structure.

As a result, the proposal would impose upon policies which aim to “protect all structures of special architectural interest”.

The second reason for refusal was due to the proposal not providing for lobby protection between the bedrooms and the stairs, which could “endanger the health and safety of persons occupying" the building.

The proposed guest house development aimed to bring "a long-vacant and deteriorating building" back into active use, with plans to restore its historic features.

"The development offers an opportunity to preserve the structure through meaningful reuse and to reinstate its positive contribution to the local streetscape," the application stated.

The proposed development intended to offer "high-quality, short-stay accommodation in support of local tourism".