An Bord Pleanála is to decide by September 2nd on whether to uphold a decision by Waterford County Council for an apartment complex in Dunmore East to be situated around a protected structure from the 1820s.
Leebury Properties Ltd has been engaged in a prolonged battle with local residents and Irfish Ltd, who operate a fish-processing plant alongside Dunmore Harbour House.
The house was used as a convent and school for over 100 years. When the convent closed, the premises were used as a restaurant and hostel but have now been vacant for three years and are in a poor state of repair.
The current appeal before An Bord Pleanála was lodged by the Convent Road Action Group. It concerns the approval by Waterford County Council of plans for the reorientation of eight apartments in the scheme, as well as two new blocks to contain four two-bedroom apartments on the southern end of the site which overlooks the fishing harbour.
While viewing the conversion of the main building into apartments as appropriate, An Taisce said previously that the development should be for full-time occupation, and not be purely a holiday-home development.
For its part, Dúchas previously criticised any "intensive development of the site" on the basis that it would overwhelm the protected structure, which it said should continue to dominate the site.
The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources indicated in March 2001 that there was a problem regarding access to the site from the east, via a private roadway which was in the Department's ownership and on which there was no access agreement.
Department officials also drew attention to the fact that Dunmore East is one of five fishery harbour centres in the State, and asked that cognisance be taken by planners of the proximity of heavy engineering and fish-processing operations to the proposed development.
The current appeal has been taken by the Convent Road Action Group, a group of residents from the vicinity who have continually opposed development proposals for the site.
They contend that to allow a permanent residential development contiguous to what they describe as the "established and viable working harbour" would be contrary to proper planning and development.
Residents also claim that the proposed development cannot be accommodated in the village, due to its lack of sewerage infrastructure.
They argue that the proposed development would be "visually discordant" and create an "incongruous visual form".
It is also contended by the appellants that the replacement of a hotel by a "speculative apartment block" would be detrimental to the tourism potential of the area.
A previous appeal by Irfish (Dunmore East) Ltd and the Convent Road Action Group against the granting of approval for an earlier plan by Leebury Properties Ltd, in November 2001, was not upheld by An Bord Pleanála.