Plans for drive-thru restaurant in Limerick rejected

PLANS for a new drive-thru restaurant/café at one of Limerick city’s busiest retail parks have been rejected.

Irish Life Assurance, the owner of the Limerick One Shopping Park on Childers Road, had sought permission to build the 280 square-metre unit in the northern part of the car park.

If approved, this would have resulted in the removal of over 100 parking spaces.

Permission for the proposed development was refused by Limerick City and County Council earlier this year with planners citing “serious concerns” over the “proliferation of car-based takeaway, restaurants at a very congested and highly-trafficked location”.

They also expressed a view that the proposed stand-alone restaurant and drive-thru “would constitute a traffic hazard and would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”

An appeal against the refusal was subsequently lodged with An Bord Pleanála which has now upheld the original decision by the council to refuse planning permission.

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In a report submitted to the board, a planning inspector stated that the existing internal road and parking layout is car-dominated and “would not be conducive to pedestrian safety”.

The report, which has just been published, adds: “The proposed new restaurant is to be located within the car park area of the wider existing retail park. In the provision of the new development, the car park will see a net loss of 122 car parking spaces.

“The Board will note however, that restaurants / cafés and takeaway are identified as not generally being permitted on lands zoned for Retail Warehousing.”

Recommending that the application be refused, the inspector adds: “Given the context of the subject site and the proposed location of the unit isolated from the existing built elements, and removed from the established ‘restaurant/café’ area to the south west corner of the wider Park, I am satisfied that the principle of an additional restaurant within the retail park, would not accord with the zoning afforded to this wider Shopping Park site.”

Members of the Board formally refused permission at a meeting on November 16.