Plans for Kildare wedding village at Ballindoolin House axed
Proposal for 30 accommodation pods, marquee and his and her changing rooms refused
Plans for a wedding village at Ballindoolin House, Carbury, Co. Kildare have been turned down by Kildare County Council due to heritage concerns.
Ballindoolin House Limited wants to build 30 single storey detached pod style accommodation rooms for wedding guests, two single storey detached pod style "getting ready rooms" (his and hers), and the seasonal erection of an off-site prefabricated marquee style structure as a wedding venue destination adjacent to the existing commercial element of Ballindoolin House.
The applicants also want permission for an access road from the car park to the wedding village and associated site works. Ballindoolin House is around 5km from Carbury and 6.5km from Broadford. It said the new development would create 45 new full and part time jobs.
On April 22, Kildare County Council refused the application stating the proposed development "fails to demonstrate an appropriate, heritage-led approach to the historic demesne, as it does not consider the reuse of existing buildings and instead relies on temporary structures at prominent locations within the curtilage of the protected structure."
It said it would contravene the County Development plan. It also noted the failure to submit an Architectural Heritage Impact Assessment, which resulted in "a substandard proposal which negatively impacts on the Protected Structure, its
setting and the demesne landscape."
However, the council did leave the door open to further applications.
In a note to the applicant, it said; "the applicant is invited to engage with the Planning Authority through a preplanning consultation and/or review all reports received to this planning application from internal sections of Kildare County Council (Environment Section, Fire Officer, Roads Department), external bodies with responsibility for built heritage (The Heritage Council) and third parties; with a view to progressing alternative plans for a heritage-led proposal."