Council seeks more detail on 10-storey Athlone hotel plan
Council planners have asked for more detail on plans for a 10-storey hotel development that would overlook the Ballymahon Road in Athlone.
The proposed hotel would include 192 bedrooms in a part 10-storey and part 8-storey building that would be situated off the Ballymahon Road roundabout, close to the Athlone Regional Sports Centre and the Brawny residential area.
A high-rise office block development was previously granted planning permission on the same site, but in early June the company behind that project, Avenir Assets Management DAC, sought permission to build a hotel there rather than an office block.
The decision on the planning bid for the hotel had been due on Monday, July 29, but the local authority has now asked the developer to provide further information on the project in the form of four additional reports.
The local authority requested a traffic and transport assessment, a road safety audit, a daylight and sunlight analysis, and a visual impact assessment in respect of the plans.
The council also asked the developer to "take cognisance of the third party submission on file" and to address matters raised.
An objection to the hotel had been submitted by nearby residents, Declan and Brigid Lough, while Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) also submitted a report as part of the planning process which expressed concerns about the project.
Declan and Brigid Lough, of Cloghanboy Court, Arcadia, noted that traffic in the vicinity of the Ballymahon Road roundabout was "in a state of congestion and has queuing problems for some years now".
"This and any proposed development would adversely affect the use of a national road by traffic," they wrote.
The submission also raised concerns about the proposed height of the hotel and its potential to impact the privacy of nearby homes.
"We now request that Westmeath County Council and the planners make the correct decision and refuse this proposed development," concluded the submission.
Meanwhile, the TII's submission said it considered the hotel proposal to be "at variance with official policy in relation to control of development on or affecting national roads".
TII added that, "The proposal, if approved, would create an adverse impact on the national road and associated junction".
A planning statement submitted on behalf of Avenir Assets Management DAC said the proposed designs for the hotel were "substantially similar" to those lodged as part of the office block planning application which was granted permission in 2022.
"The substantive changes are internal to the main building and relate primarily to the change of use of the building from office use to hotel development," it said.
The report on behalf of the applicant said granting approval for the hotel would "aid in the promotion of Athlone as a destination town" by making provision for "a high-quality and attractive tourism accommodation facility at this key site".
"The proposed development will make an extremely positive contribution to the vibrancy of the urban neighbourhood here, addressing the underutilisation of zoned land in this defined growth area," the planning statement added.
Avenir Assets Management DAC now has a period of six months - up until the end of January - to submit the requested further information on the project to the council.