Plans to develop a new 136-bed hotel in one of Wexford's most popular coastal villages have been placed on hold following objections from local residents and community organisations.
On August 1, Wexford County Council (WCC) granted planning permission to Tyol (Bayview) Limited to construct the six-storey hotel in Courtown including a bar/restaurant, gym, spa, leisure area, business centre, function rooms, and 94 parking spaces.
This came on foot of a vote by Wexford County Councillors to enact a 'material contravention' to allow the hotel to begin construction. A material contravention occurs when a planning application is made to a planning authority (Wexford County Council) which, in a material way, would breach the objectives of the development plan.
At the July meeting of Wexford County Council (WCC), the decision to allow the development to go ahead, despite it being in breach of the Courtown and Riverchapel Local Area Plan (LAP), was approved by local councillors.
However, as expected, a number of appeals have been lodged to the national planning authority, An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP), and, as a result, the proposed project will be delayed until those appeals have been examined.
Lodged on August 15, the appeals were submitted by a Ms Fiona Sheridan, the Harbour Court Residents Association, a Ms Nicola Deacon, the Courtown Forest Park Management Company Ltd, and by a Mr William O'Brien.
In her submission Ms Sheridan accuses WCC of not adhering to its own policies and guidelines and not considering the "detrimental impact . . . on that area which has been long established as an amenity and area of open space to the community."
Ms Sheridan notes that the proposed site of the hotel was "until recently zoned as an open space and amenity" and is also the "location of the community playground, provides access to the woods and most importantly a right of way via a pedestrian footbridge to the Burrow Road and beach amenity area."
She argues that the design of the new hotel is out of keeping with the "character and integrity" of Courtown and is more suited to "a city/urban area such as Dublin docklands office/apartments or a southern Spain/Costa del Sol type development."
"The proposed hotel would result in a visually obtrusive and overbearing development on the village and coastal landscape" she adds. "The area's location is distinctive in its natural beauty, conspicuous with its established woodlands, dunes, and a low-rise buildings" and the scale of the hotel will "blight the visual landscape of the area and be detrimental to the area's established natural ambience and coastal beauty."
The appellant also raises concerns about the potential increase in traffic should the hotel go ahead.
"This will be of a significant detrimental level during the summer season which is and has been for many years at gridlock during the summer holiday season," she states. "This proposed development would extend this problem beyond the summer season."
Despite her objections, Ms Sheridan was keen to explain that she, and "the majority of people in the Courtown area", "would welcome the addition of another hotel to the village."
"My objections are not anti-development or what is commonly referred to as NIMBYism. However any development must work congruently within such a sensitive coastal location both in terms of scale, mass and height and overall design elements."
Last month, in an interview with this publication, Tom O'Loughlin of Tyol (Bayview) Limited accepted that the project was likely to be appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) and defended the right of objectors to voice their concerns.
"I hope (ACP) will still grant the entire project," he said. "People have a right to lodge an appeal - we listened to a lot of their concerns. In the actual construction model we presented, we took those concerns into account."