2560068

Permission for a change of use of the existing ground floor retail unit to a studio type apartment and all associated site development works

Refused

Core Refusal Reason

The proposal materially contravenes the B1 zoning objective by introducing ground-floor residential use without evidence of sustained vacancy, while simultaneously providing a substandard level of residential amenity due to significant design deficiencies.

Decision Maker's Conclusion

  • The proposed ground-floor residential use is contrary to the B1 zoning objective, which prioritizes commercial activity at street level and only permits residential conversion where a sustained period of vacancy has been demonstrated, which was not the case here.
  • The internal design is fundamentally substandard, failing to meet mandatory minimum floor-to-ceiling heights (2.375m provided vs 2.7m required) and lacking adequate natural daylight, ventilation, and privacy for future occupants.
  • The application fails to provide essential ancillary facilities required for modern apartment living, including adequate bicycle parking, bulky storage, and appropriate refuse storage and collection arrangements.

Cited Policies (CDP)

B1: Town or Village CentreSection 5.24Section 13.8.34Policy Objective HOU 11Policy Objective HOU 25Section 13.8.28Section 13.8.29Table 13.5Section 13.16Section 13.11Section 13.12Section 13.8.10Policy Objective IU 19Policy Objective NGB 6Policy Objective CS 2Policy Objective CS 10Policy Objective SS 19Policy Objective SS 25Policy Objective HOU 15Policy Objective HOU 17Policy Objective HOU 18Policy Objective HOU 19Policy Objective HOU 22Policy Objective HOU 31Policy Objective IU 13

Decision Document Summary

Padhraic Conlon sought planning permission for the change of use of a vacant ground-floor retail unit to a studio apartment at 81 Bridge Street, Dundalk, Co. Louth. The site is situated in a prominent town centre location zoned 'B1 Town or Village Centre'. Louth County Council refused the application primarily because the unit had only been vacant for a short period (approximately 6-7 months), failing to meet the 'sustained vacancy' threshold for ground-floor residential use. Furthermore, the pr...
SOURCE PDFOpen Original
Note: If code appears below, the council site is blocking the preview. Please open the original file.