'Disappointed' Offaly developer reviews options after refusal of major project for Tullamore

THE developer behind the plan for a major high-rise residential and commercial complex in Tullamore is reviewing the options after council planners refused permission for the project.

Cayenne Holdings Ltd, the company controlled by local businessman and property developer Seamus Kane, sought consent for a new town centre scheme with a 13-storey apartment block on the former Tesco/Texas site between Patrick Street, Offally Street and Kilbride Plaza.

In a statement, Cayenne Holdings Ltd said it was “obviously disappointed with the outcome of this decision”.

The company said the site had been identified in Offaly County Council's own development plan “which asks for” a minimum of six storeys, along with a “high density mixed use scheme” to revitalise the town akin to Athlone.

Cayenne Holdings says it is “very surprising these are the actual reasons used by [Offaly County Council] to refuse this application”.

The statement continued: “We have invested considerably to suggest what the future Tullamore Town centre might look like and the opportunity that this and other vacant sites can deliver for the Tullamore community in line with national policy.

“We have been overwhelmed in the last few weeks by the support shown by both the Tullamore [businesses] and this community for this level of investment and vision in our Town Centre. This has come not only from stakeholders we have spoken with but also from the general public who do want to see change for our town. For this we would like to thank everyone for their support and engagement so far.

“We are currently reviewing our options and considering the council’s perspective before deciding the next steps.”

The council decision stated: “I note that commercial components of the proposed development would be beneficial to Tullamore and are viewed in a positive light. The principal of a residential component on this site would be a positive addition to the town and in accordance with the town centre first policy. However, a holistic assessment of the entire proposal must note the profound negative visual impacts, fire safety issues, traffic safety concerns and permeability concerns regarding the proposed development as has been submitted. The proposal is also contrary to statutory Ministerial Guidelines.”

If the decision is to be appealed to An Bord Pleanala, Cayenne Holdings must do so within four weeks.

The Heritage Council and the Georgian Society of Ireland both objected to the proposal, mainly on grounds of scale.

The council planners' first reason for refusal for the 204-apartment scheme was that the residential density of the proposed development “greatly exceeds the density standards”.

Secondly, the council said the project, which is to be called Distillery Yard, would, because of its “excessive scale, height and mass” appear “visually incongruous on the skyline when viewed from Patrick Street, Columcille Street, Harbour Street and Kilbride Street and would be visually obtrusive on the skyline when viewed from High Street and along the Grand Canal”.

Fire safety was the third reason. The council said the application did not demonstrate “sufficient proposals to allow access by the fire services” to the multi-storey development and it could “endanger the health and safety of persons occupying or employed in the proposed structures”.

Fourth, the planners said the scheme would “endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard because of the additional traffic it would generate onto Offally Street which has limited road space”.

A fifth reason was the inadequacy of off road parking in the plan and the council said the “on-road parking and the traffic movements likely to be generated by the development would interfere with the free flow of traffic and endanger public safety by reason of obstruction of road users”.

Finally, the council said the proposal “lacks full utilisation of potential connections particularly from the site via the existing link to the South East of Patrick Street”. This is a reference to a fence which currently blocks access to the development site near a former Indian restaurant off Patrick Street.