Appeal lodged against Letterkenny Wellness and Sauna facility refusal
Donegal County Council refused application from Kaizen Wellness Ltd at Letterkennt
An appeal has been submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála against Donegal County Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for the creation of a wellness and sauna facility in Letterkenny.
Donegal County Council’s decision to refuse an application by Kaizen Wellness Ltd on July 9 was made as it was considered approving the application “would constitute the disorderly overdevelopment of a constrained plot in a manner which would by itself, and by undesirable and unsustainable precedent.”
Kaizen Wellness Ltd’s unsuccessful application was for the change of use of an overspill car park and former stone masons’ yard and workshop off Pearse Road, Letterkenny, to a new wellness, recreation and sauna facility.
The facility was planned to include single-storey saunas, changing rooms, toilet facilities, a reception, ancillary refreshment facilities, external hot tubs, showers, and cold plunge areas.
Margot Schweitzer of MacGabhann Architects wrote in a cover letter supporting the failed application: “The existing site is quite unattractive in its current form and significantly detracts from the local urban environment, adjacent to a protected structure.
“The scale and nature of the site mean that it is not suitable for many types of development or improvement. The development proposed here will fit well in the site and its urban location, and indeed will make a significant contribution to improving the urban environment in Letterkenny.
“The Planning Authority should see this proposal as an opportunity for urban improvement, which might be lost if not taken up at this time.”
However, it was considered that awarding planning permission for this proposal would have constituted “the disorderly overdevelopment” and set an “undesirable and unsustainable precedent,” to “the proper planning and orderly development of the site.”
The appeal was lodged on July 27 and noted various reasons against the refusal, including an objection that the proposal would lead to a “disorderly overdevelopment of a constrained site.”
It was stated: “The appellant respectfully submits that this conclusion is not supported by either the planning evidence or the technical assessments carried out during the application process.
“The proposal represents the regeneration of an underutilised brownfield site within the settlement boundary of Letterkenny and is entirely consistent with national and local policy objectives promoting compact growth, urban regeneration, recreation, tourism and healthy communities.
“Importantly, no internal consultee recommended refusal of the proposal in principle. The Council's own Regeneration & Development Team concluded that the proposal constituted "a compatible recreational use in land use terms" and identified ‘positive synergies’ with the future River Walkway project.”
Regarding the appeal site, on previously developed lands on Pearse Road, it was argued: “The proposal has been specifically designed to respond to the physical characteristics of the site.
“Existing mature trees are retained wherever possible, buildings are dispersed rather than concentrated and significant new landscaping forms an integral part of the development.”
Within the conclusion of the appeal, it was commented: “The appeal proposal represents the appropriate regeneration of a previously developed urban site through the delivery of a high-quality wellness facility that accords with national, regional and local planning policy objectives promoting compact growth, brownfield redevelopment, recreation and healthy communities.
“The Planning Authority's refusal rests solely on a conclusion that the proposal would constitute overdevelopment. However, that conclusion is unsupported by evidence of any resulting unacceptable planning impact. No technical objections were raised to the proposal, the principle of the recreational use was accepted, and the Council's own Regeneration and Development Team confirmed that the use is compatible in land use terms and has positive synergies with the future regeneration of the River Swilly corridor.
“The appellant, therefore, respectfully submits that the proposal represents sustainable development, responds appropriately to the characteristics of the site, and complies with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”
An Coimisiún Pleanála has yet to announce a decision due date for the appeal.