Core Refusal Reason
The development is considered excessive in scale, not ancillary to the existing tourism facility, and would undermine the vitality of Blessington town centre while posing a potential traffic hazard.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The scale of the food court is excessive and not ancillary to the existing tourism facility, which would undermine the role and vibrancy of Blessington town centre as the primary area for such facilities.
- The proposal is contrary to the Core Strategy of the County Development Plan and the Blessington Local Area Plan, which seek to direct new development and investment into towns and villages in the first instance.
- The development would endanger public safety by reason of a serious traffic hazard because insufficient information was provided to demonstrate adequate parking provision, likely leading to haphazard parking.
Cited Policies (CDP)
Objective RT1Section 7.4 - Tourism and Recreation Objectives T1, T2, T3Objective T18Objective T265.3.3 The Phoulaphuca Reservoir KDCBlessington LAP 2013-2019 Objectives T1, T4
Decision Document Summary
The applicant sought retention permission for the change of use of a tennis court and car park into a food court served by mobile vehicles, along with an outdoor bar area at 'The Avon' leisure complex on the shores of Blessington Lake. Although the site is zoned for tourism, the Planning Authority concluded that the facility was too large to be considered ancillary to the existing site and would compete unfairly with the established town centre of Blessington. The application was ultimately refu...SOURCE PDFOpen Original
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