‘Over the shop’ flats return to Naas

A MAJOR ideological corner looks like it has finally been turned in Naas with the news that the first living quarters ‘over the shop’ in the town centre in some years has been given permission by the council.

“This is a warmly welcomed move to bring population back to the centre of town by a developer we know well,” said cllr Seamie Moore.

“This is the beginning of what we’re looking forward to for the rest of the empty town centre.

“There is a big possibility here, to return living quarters in the centre of town. It doesn’t have to be all shops,” he said.

The developer is Pat Barrett from the Tipper Road area, and his plans are to renovate the former Murray Spellman Insurances premises at 24-5 South Main Street into a commercial enterprise on the ground floor (235sqm), with four apartments (one 1-bed, three 2-bed) above this.

There were some issues in the Planning Section, in particular with issues of parking, shop frontage, where the build site would be situated, and where the bins and bikes would be put.

After some thorough reading of the County Development Plan 2023-29 and the Sustainable Residential Development and Settlement Guidelines (SRDSG) in the National Planning Framework, Barrett’s consultants Armstrong Fenton Associates bravely announced in their application that “no new parking is proposed”.

This was a brave move because in certain instances, Kildare County Council can issue a levy of €10,000 for every missing car parking space it might deem necessary for a potential development.

The consultant’s reply to these initial concerns was straight to the point.

“It is assumed that users of this building, both commercial and residential, will not rely on private transport, given its location and proximity to public transport. 

“The provision of a car-free development is supported by both the National Transport Authority (NTA) and the SRDCSG."

For the shop front, the developer quickly agreed to replace the existing black stone with a more traditional, wooden shop front.

Also, because the renovations will be exclusively inside on the same existing footprint, there is no need to make provision for a building site or truck wash facility – particularly this close to such a busy junction.

Also, there is an existing courtyard to the rear of this premises which will be adequate for bin and bike storage.

Whilst it took an unusually long eight months, the outcome seems to have pleased the planners.

“The proposed development should act as a catalyst for change in the town,” said the planner’s report.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme