Kilkenny station plan off to appeals board

A plan led by Chesterbridge Developments to build a €100 million new urban quarter at MacDonagh Station in Kilkenny has been challenged by a number of local groups and individuals. Edel Morgan reports

Four parties lodged appeals to An Bord Pleanála on foot of planning permission granted by Kilkenny Borough Council.

The proposal is for a 56,792 sq m (611,303 sq ft) development comprising 40 retail units, a 120-bed hotel, 5,945 sq m (64,000 sq ft) of office space including science and technology starter units and 131 residential units on the five-acre site. There will also be 1,000 car-parking spaces. The urban quarter will have a series of new streets, pedestrian routes and city views in what is considered an underdeveloped part of Kilkenny city.

Among the concerns of the Ossary Park Residents Association are that the scheme will cause an increase in traffic, that there has been a lack of consultation with the residential community, and the possible effects of noise and pollution during construction and potential structural damage to nearby property.

The other appellants are Kilkenny Co-Op Livestock Market Ltd, High Street Traders Group and John, Joe and Teresa Hayes.

Kilkenny Co-Op Livestock Market Ltd contend the site, which is beside a public transport node, would be more suitable for employment-intensive office uses "as originally recommended in integrated area plan".

Last year Kilkenny Co-operative Livestock Mart Ltd voted to join Melcorpo Ltd in a joint venture to redevelop it's 13.2-acre site at Barrack Street into what is expected to be a major shopping and residential centre.

Chesterbridge lodged a first party appeal against two conditions of planning permission, one of which precluded the sale of hot food on the premises.

The developers believe that MacDonagh Junction could mark the influx of a number of British and European retail chains keen to get a foothold in the city and that it would be a boon to a part of the town that has derelict pockets.

Chesterbridge is developing the site in association with Kilkenny County Council and CIÉ.

The council and CIÉ are to get 9 per cent of the rent roll of the retail and office element.

Protected buildings include the former union workshops, the goods shed, and the old railway terminus, which will be renovated and reused as an integral part of the scheme.

Chesterbridge, which is headed by developers Paul Newman, Michael Whelan and Paul Hanby, stepped up its marketing drive when news emerged that shareholders in Kilkenny Co-op Livestock Mart Ltd voted to join Melcorpo Ltd to redevelop the Barrack Street site.

It claims that McDonagh Junction will bring an additional 1,500 jobs to the city, and that is has undergone an extensive process of consultation, which will bring additional recreational and community facilities to the area.