Coffee shop plan for Golden Island car park appealed

Despite the omission of the original drive-through element, plans for a new coffee shop in a portion of the car park of Golden Island Shopping Centre close to Burgess Park have been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

A decision is due in February next year after an appeal was lodged in a bid to overturn planning approval granted by Westmeath County Council for the cafe plans back in September.

Initially, what was envisaged by Int Inv (I) GP Ltd would have been the region's first drive-through coffee shop, however, the proposal hit a major speed bump when the local authority asked the developer to omit that particular element and car parking as part of revised plans.

Lodged in February, the original plans concerned "a single-storey pavilion drive-through coffee shop (207 square metres) for the sale and consumption, on and off the premises of food and beverages” in what's described as the North West quadrant of the car park.

It would result in the reconfiguration of the existing car park to make way for the building, a vehicle circulation route and a collection point. The second element of the application concerned “the relocation of 41 car spaces within the North East corner” of the car park and landscaped area.

However, in April as part of a further information request before a final decision could be made, the planning authority expressed concerns in relation to its “design, layout, and overall arrangement of the built form” at this “prominent town centre site”.

It asked the applicant to address this by omitting the drive-through element, the parking and to submit a redesign of the project to incorporate dual aspect and an enhanced streetscape, along with reconsidering the scale and quantity of on-site signage.

The applicant submitted the revised plans in August, confirming “the removal of drive-through facility as requested” and altered signage and streetscape.

Int Inv (I) GP Ltd said the cafe had been redesigned internally and externally to address public realm concerns, adding that it had a “pavilion element forming part of the extended Burgess Park landscape” and external seating, terraces and cycle facilities are proposed in lieu of the original drive-through lane. The car parking proposal was also omitted.

A photomontage accompanying the application shows that the proposed building would be located in the corner of the car park close to Burgess Park side entrance road, just off the Dunnes, Irishtown roundabout.

When the further information was lodged, a submission at the end of August was submitted by Tony Diskin of Diskin Retail Parks Ltd, who expressed “major concerns about the reduction of parking spaces to allow for the cafe” and confirmed they are adjoining landowners.

Tony Diskin subsequently lodged an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. A decision is expected by February 1, 2022.