Appeal lodged over planning approval for ten-storey Athlone hotel
Westmeath County Council's decision to award planning permission for a hotel of up to 10 storeys next to the Ballymahon Road roundabout in Athlone has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.
Declan and Brigid Lough, of Cloghanboy Court, Arcadia, lodged the appeal against last month's decision by the local authority to grant approval for the 192-bedroom hotel at Brawney Road, close to the Athlone Regional Sports Centre.
The appellants said their objections to the project were based on two grounds: Increased traffic and the height of the development.
Longford-based Avenir Assets Management DAC had successfully applied for a change of use at the site to a hotel, after previously being granted planning permission in 2022 for a large office block development there.
The hotel is described as a part 10-storey and part 8-storey building which would include a bar, restaurant, gym/spa as well as conference and meeting room facilities, and a three-storey car park.
The appeal by Declan and Brigid Lough cited an observation on the project by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, which stated that the hotel development, if approved, "would create an adverse impact on the national road and associated junction."
On the height of the proposed hotel, the appeal stated that it would "lead to a loss of privacy into our front-facing bedrooms" and would not be "in keeping" with the height of other buildings in the vicinity.
"We now request that An Bord Planála make the correct decision and refuse this development," the appeal concluded.
The planning authority is due to make its decision on the matter by April 16, 2025.