2660479
• 5 no. film studios (Block G, H, J, K, and L) with ancillary facilities to accommodate; film making, support offices, visitor centre, costume storage, make-up room, set construction, paint shop, plaster shop, metal shop, timber shop, electrical, special effects, chemical store, set assembly & toilets. Block G, H, J, K, and L range in height from 4 to 5 storeys, each studio block has a gross internal floor area of 13658 sqm with a total height of 24.44 m. • 1 no. single storey small film studio (Block M), gross internal floor area of 947 sqm with a total height of 14.82 m. • 1 no. two storey restaurant and office building (Block N) with ancillary facilities including dining areas, kitchen, staff facilities, office accommodation, meeting rooms, storage areas, plant rooms and toilets. Block N has a gross internal floor area of 1714 sqm with a total height of 12.02 m. • provision of vehicular access to each film studio and office building, with a total of 347 visitor car parking spaces and back lot areas. The development will also consist of access roads, lighting, site drainage, associated landscaping and all ancillary site development works above and below ground
Core Refusal Reason
The development was refused due to its excessive scale in a rural area, the failure to submit a mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR), and the lack of sufficient technical information regarding environmental, traffic, and infrastructural impacts.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The proposal constitutes a mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) development due to its scale exceeding 15 hectares and a 25% increase in authorized size, yet no Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) was submitted.
- The development materially contravenes the Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 by encroaching into un-zoned rural land and failing to adhere to the required south-to-north phasing sequence and masterplan requirements for the Ashford film studio cluster.
- Insufficient technical information was provided to assess the development's impact on the Murrough Wetlands SAC/SPA, local traffic safety, landscape character, archaeological heritage, and public health regarding wastewater treatment.