Verdict on Connaught Street project delayed until summer
A final decision on one of the most significant projects proposed for Athlone's Connaught Street in decades has been delayed after the developer was granted an extension of three months to submit further information to the council.
It relates to Ledbro Ltd's eye-catching proposal for a five-storey residential building with a retail unit arranged over two blocks at 20 Connaught Street, Harry's Lane and 7 Patrick Street.
The developer was due to answer eleven points of further information that the local authority asked for by April 1, however, a spokesperson for Crawford Architecture, the planning agents for the project, confirmed to the Westmeath Independent that it had applied for an extension of time to lodge the extra data to allow a final decision to be made. The Cork-based firm said the new deadline is July 8, and it expects to lodge a response within the timeframe.
On October 1, the local authority asked the applicant to lodge revised plans as it said the proposed density and plot ratio was “overly excessive” on a constrained site, and that the scale and design “does not represent the optimum urban design solution” for this plot.
Planners in Westmeath County Council, who were also unhappy with the height and courtyard aspects of the proposal, sought revised plans to integrate with the existing streetscape and adjoining buildings.
It also requested an architectural conservation report, given that the site is in an architectural conservation area as designated in the Athlone Town Development Plan.
In addition, the council requested an appropriate assessment to be carried out in line with the Habitats Directive, a bat survey and an archaeological impact assessment of the site.
First lodged back in August, the ambitious plan covers 29 apartments, the majority-two bed units, a retail unit, a semi-basement car park, amenity space and communal open space on the 0.12 hectare site.
It would involve the demolition of a derelict two-storey public house and a shed.
The main building is comprised of four storeys with a penthouse level facing onto Connaught Street and Harry's Lane. It would be arranged with six apartments per floor on levels 1-3, three units on ground floor level and five on level four. At level four, the building steps back to the north and west to create a penthouse level, which the planning documents said would allow for generous balconies.
A separate three-storey apartment building situated on Patrick Street has one unit per floor, all with their own door access.
The basement level apartment here would be accessed from Patrick Street while the ground to first-floor level units are accessed through a large landscaped courtyard in the centre, the plans indicated.
The developer, Ledbro Ltd, contended that the significant mixed-use development proposed for the Connaught Street area of Athlone would form the basis of a new “urban renewal scheme” which, would remove derelict industrial buildings and replace them with “professionally managed accommodation” built to the highest standards. The proposal attracted four submissions, two from government departments, and two local submissions.