Kildare canalside café gets go-ahead
Photo of the area
AFTER a year of planning limbo following a third party appeal against his business, a Kildare man finally got permission to keep his café alongside the Grand Canal at the 17th Lock, about 3km north west of Sallins.
Vincent Murphy applied to Kildare County Council (KCC) in January last year to retain the canal side café here where he converted a room in the Hay Manager’s House at 17th Lock House in Landenstown.
The café started trading in July 2022. However, a local took offence at the business, and when he applied for retention following a site inspection by the Area Engineer where he noted the lack of parking and the height of the wall, the individual made a formal complaint.
Her first point of contention was that the entrance to the café is at bend at the corner of the lane where she lived, and “it causes great stress”.
Her second point of protest was that 1.7m wall built by Mr Murphy which “completely obliterated any sight lines from my exit”, as well as that there is no parking, and the business causes congestion at this point.
The planners took the objections under considered advisement, and when they offered a ‘conditional permission’ on 8 August, 2023, did so with these issues in mind.
Firstly, they demanded the development be completed in accordance with the plans and projections submitted as ‘Further Information’ in July 2023, and that all signage to be erected warning of this junction be submitted to the council for approval, and that the contentious screen wall have its height lowered by half a metre to a maximum of 1.2m.
This, however, was not sufficient to the protesting local.
An objection was subsequently made to An Bord Pleanála.
After considering Mr Murphy’s application, they ultimately upheld the council grant of permission following a Board meeting this month.
“It is considered the development would not seriously injure the visual or residential amenities in the area, nor by virtue of the new screen wall constitute a traffic hazard for road users in the area,” the Board ruled, whilst emphasising the conditions as laid out by the council.
