A proposal to deliver 42 new homes near the centre of Thurles has encountered an early planning setback after Tipperary County Council ruled the application invalid.
Coolross Homes Ltd submitted plans for the residential development on land at Innisfail, Kickham Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. The proposed scheme would provide a range of housing options, including two, three and four-bedroom houses alongside one and two-bedroom apartments.
The development site forms part of the grounds of Inisfail House, a protected structure understood to date from 1898. While the historic property is located within the application site, it would not be redeveloped as part of the current proposal.
Documents accompanying the application indicate that the company intends to lodge a separate planning submission concerning the future restoration and reuse of the house. In the meantime, some temporary work may be required to keep the building secure and protected from water damage.
An architectural heritage assessment prepared for the project said the proposed housing had been designed to retain the historic buildings and the established entrance from Kickham Street. It also concluded that the scheme would not adversely affect the setting or character of the protected structure.
Nine of the proposed homes were earmarked for transfer to Tipperary County Council. These properties would have been made available as social housing, to applicants on the local authority’s waiting list.
Accessibility was another feature highlighted in the plans. The proposed houses were designed so that residents could be provided with ground-floor living accommodation if their needs required it.
However, the council has not progressed to a full assessment of the development because of problems with the submitted documentation.
One issue concerned the public site notice, which did not state that the proposed work would take place within the curtilage or surrounding grounds of a protected structure. Council planners also found inconsistencies between the floor plans and roof plans supplied for one section of the development.
An invalid application is not the same as a refusal of planning permission. Instead, it means the submission has failed to meet certain administrative or documentation requirements and therefore cannot currently be considered on its planning merits.
Coolross Homes must now correct the identified errors and submit a new application if it wishes to advance the project. Once a valid application is lodged, the council can begin its formal assessment and the public consultation process can proceed.
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