The developers of contentious plans for a six storey 158 bedroom hotel for Kildare town have offered to reduce the scale of the development.
Last month, Kildare County Council refused planning permission to Murlyn Capital Investments for the hotel on a site at the junction of Nurney Road and Monasterevin Road at Kildare, adjoining the Kildare Village site.
The council refused planning permission after strong objections were lodged against the plan by the operator of the Kildare Village and Tesco Ireland.
Now, Murlyn Capital Investments has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanala against the Council decision and has put forward an alternative proposal which omits one floor from the scheme.
Consultants for Murlyn Capital Investments, Alan Whelan of O'Connor Whelan, has told the appeals board that the hotel developers are willing to accept a condition which will reduce the hotel by a floor and set back the now proposed fifth floor.
Mr Whelan states that the fifth floor set-back will break up the bulk of the building.
He also told the appeals board that the refusal by Kildare County Council was "unwarranted".
Mr Whelan pointed out "despite the extensive and welcome attendance from Kildare County Council, none of the issues raised in the reasons for refusal were referred to in pre-planning consultations".
"The proposed development height is suitable for this commercially zoned site and in keeping with the height of the adjoining Tesco store," he stated.
Mr Whelan also contended that the hotel scheme provides for the commercial development of an agricultural site within the confines of the town, zoned commercial that will ensure the viability and vitality of the area.
Mr Whelan further contended that the planned hotel "will provide much needed tourism accommodation" and "will entice visitors to stay in the town as opposed to mere day visitors".
The Council refused planning permission after concluding that the proposed development would seriously injure the residential amenities and depreciate the value of property in the vicinity.
The planning authority also refused planning permission after concluding that the applicant has not adequately demonstrated that the proposal would not create an adverse impact on the functioning of the national roads and associated M7 interchange to the south.
The Council stated that the proposed development could lead to conditions which would endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard.
On behalf of Kildare Village operator, Value Retail Dublin, RMLA planning consultants told the Council that the hotel scheme is 23 metres in height and represents an overbearing and incongruent urban form when compared to the two storey Kildare Village.
Tesco Ireland operates a superstore adjacent to the hotel site and also called on the Council to refuse planning permission.
In the objection drawn up by RMLA, it argued that the failure to provide car parking facilities for the planned hotel "will result in an overspill into the surrounding developments including the Tesco and Kildare Village private car parks, which will have a detrimental effect on those existing retail centres".
RMLA also stated that Tesco Ireland "has serious concerns regarding pedestrian safety and the potential hazard that the proposed development will have on the existing operations at the Tesco service yard".
