An Bord Pleanála give green light for major extension to Wexford hotel despite objections

Irish Independent

2 days ago

The original application that was submitted back in January 2023 detailed their intention to build an extension to the rear of the building that would accommodate 24 additional bedrooms, an office space and stores at ground floor level with outdoor plant area on the roof, all over lower ground level parking area with attached single-storey bin store, and a standalone gas tank enclosure relocated from the existing location.
The application also looked for permission for the alteration and extension of the main function room to comprise an adjoining pre-function room facility on the front elevation at ground level.
The proposed bedroom extension connections at three upper levels will result in the loss of two rooms at each level, resulting in the proposed development providing a net addition of 18 bedrooms.
The application outlined that the slanted roof will minimise scale and address any potential overshadowing to the front of the residential properties located on the opposite side of the external road to the west
Bedrooms in the southwest section of the proposed extension are orientated south to exclude potential for any undue overlooking to the west. End balconies have a privacy screen on the west end to avoid overlooking
Although the Millhouse Bar, which is located in the northeastern part of the Riverside Park Hotel is on the Record of Protected Structures (E084), they stipulated that the protected structure would not be impacted/materially affected by the proposed development.
However, 13 local residents submitted a letter of objection to Wexford County Council, outlining flooding and overlooking concerns believing that these were not addressed satisfactorily.
Resident George Kehoe highlighted that the proposed west elevation would increase the risk of privacy violations for a number of residents within the Gurteen / Saw Mill Lane area.
"As per the proposed west elevation, there are eight houses overlooking house nos 5,4, and 3. These windows directly impact the privacy and residential amenities of the neighbouring properties. In the case of no.4, these windows directly look overlook the primary garden area at the south of the house.'
He added that there are significant concerns that the already existing noise concerns will increase with the equipment required for the maintenance of the proposed plant room.
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"Noise from existing heat pumps/generators/extraction fans/ air conditioning units are clearly audible in a number of neighbouring properties in Gurteen. There is a generator at bedroom level of houses in Gurteen that is in use intermittently. There is little to no buffering from these noises. We are concerned the additional noise introduced by the new outdoor plant area, that includes more heat pumps, will further impinge on the neighbouring properties,' he wrote.
He also raised concerns over the loss of public car parking spaces and the 'lived' experience of hotel traffic.
"Our experience of living in close proximity to the hotel is that the existing 126 hotel car park spaces is not sufficient. There is encroachment onto the private road of Gurteen / Saw Mill Lane. There is huge congestion when concerts and weddings are held in the hotel, leading to road infringements and parking on our road.'
Despite this An Bord Pleanala ruled that the scale and nature of the development was acceptable as long as it followed some conditions.
One of the conditions included the provision of a plan that would provide protection measures to maintain the integrity of the existing western boundary wall with Saw Mill Lane, as well as details of intended construction practice for the development, hours of working, noise and dust management measures and off-site disposal of construction/demolition waste.
The inspector also conducted a number of nature assessments and found that the development would not seriously injure the visual or residential amenity of the area, create any additional flood risk or impact the integrity of the adjacent European sites and would be in accordance with the Wexford Development Plan 2022-2028.
Speaking on the decision on behalf of the hotel, Marketing Manager with the Riverside Park Hotel Millie Moore said they are happy with the decision and believe it will bring more opportunities to the area.
"We are delighted to have received a positive decision from Bord Pleanála for this expansion of our hospitality offering. We believe this planned expansion of bedrooms from 100 to 118 rooms will allow us to welcome up to 10,000 more visitor nights to Enniscorthy per annum resulting in more and more visitors on the streets of Enniscorthy as well as visiting Wexford Local attractions.'
"We believe it will generate up to a further ten full time jobs in the hotel, resulting in up to €300,000 in extra wages back into the community of Enniscorthy,' she added.