Curragh redevelopment opposed

The Friends of the Curragh Environment is one of two parties to appeal Kildare County Council's decision to grant planning permission for a new grandstand at the Curragh racecourse.

The proposal by the Trustees of the Turf Club for this phase of the €90 million redevelopment of the Curragh racecourse also seeks the redevelopment of the Stand House Hotel, opposite the racecourse, which was purchased by the Aga Khan as a gift to the Turf Club for an estimated €15 million. The aim is to turn the racecourse into a world class venue with a 50,000 capacity over the next three years.

However, in an appeal to An Bord Pleanála, Percy Podger, on behalf of Friends of the Curragh Environment, says they have made a complaint to the European Commission about the Irish planning authorities, the Irish state, the applicants, and Kildare County Council "regarding the breach of EC directives. It is premature for you to make a decision until the EC complaint is fully determined," said the appeal.

The Friends of the Curragh Environment contend the planning application is "fundamentally flawed" and Kildare County Council's decision to grant permission was made "on foot of an invalid application, and the site notice and newspaper notice were incomplete and consequently invalid".

Another appellant, Geraldine McCann of Loughbrown Stud, has concerns over the location and management of the car-parking and helicopter landing areas for visitors to the proposed grandstand. She says car-parking and helicopter landing for the grandstand have not been adequately addressed and believes there's a need to ensure the residual parking is accommodated in areas "which will not unduly impact on adjoining properties".

The Trustees of the Turf Club have sought redevelopment of the racecourse over three separate planning applications and, "as a result of project splitting, many of the parking areas which the Turf Club intends to use to service the redeveloped racecourse will fall outside the site boundaries of all three applications", says McCann's appeal.

She says the applicant responded to her concerns by pointing to a traffic management report prepared by O'Connor, Sutton, Cronin and Associates. This was based, she says, "on traffic and parking patterns for the guineas day which had a total gate attendance of 8,560 rather than derby day which has an attendance of 30,000". She says the report does not address "well documented environmental problems associated with the current access and parking arrangements for derby day, i.e. noise, litter, trespass, air pollution and nuisance from helicopter movements".

The Trustees of the Turf Club lodged a first party appeal against the level of financial contributions required under the conditions of planning permission. They are looking to build a new five-storey over basement grandstand with a museum, seating capacity for nearly 2,000, as well as restaurants and bars. The 219sq m (2,357sq ft) museum would be located on the ground floor of the grandstand, along with the new queen's room, a food court, tote halls and bar areas. As well as a terrace with seating for 1,100, the first floor would have a members' bar and function room, a restaurant, a main bar and an owners and trainers' bar.

The second floor would have a terrace with a 860-seat capacity, 11 corporate boxes, a bar and function rooms, while the third floor would comprise 20 corporate boxes, a judge's and a steward's box, as well as a further five corporate boxes within the oval element of the building.

At fourth floor level the proposal is for a commentary box roof terrace and banqueting hall. Each level of the grandstand would span more than a quarter of an acre in area.

The Stand House Hotel is regarded as an integral part of the overall redevelopment of the racecourse.

The revamp of the hotel will involve a new glazed south elevation and refurbished north elevation, a re-ordering of the courtyard and lounge, a new entrance lobby, and extensions to the breakfastroom and derby suite function room.

Earlier this year, An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for the realignment of a road which separates the main grandstand from the Stand House Hotel. The road is to be relocated around the back of the hotel, so it can be integrated into the racecourse redevelopment.

The demolition of the east stand and part of the west stand, to dismantle the Queen's Road and demolish part of the west wing of the Turf Club rooms is also part of the proposal.

The Curragh began as a racecourse in 1741 and the Irish Turf Club was established in 1790. The Turf Club's offices were gutted by fire last year. The redevelopment is expected to be complete by 2008.