Tipperary health centre receives retention permission after facing initial objections
The retention permission was granted for the premises of Private Therapy Clinic in Nenagh
Retention permission for plans for a health centre at The Hatchery at Martry's Road in Nenagh, have been given the go-ahead by An Coimisiún Pleanála.
The permission for retention had been approved by the council in December last year, but later appealed to the board. The board ultimately decided that the development would not have any negative impact on surrounding houses or the road network, nor the visual or heritage aspects of the Architectural Conservation Area of the town due to the development’s small scale.
The health centre is intended to provide talking therapy, mental health assessments, and psychiatry consultations. The operating hours of the clinic are to be 9am to 10pm, and the original plans were to include a ‘privacy film’ on any windows that were overlooking a neighbour’s property.
Submissions against the health centre highlighted concerns primarily around increased traffic and parking, and ‘continuous arrivals and departures’ owing to the extended consulting hours.
The inspector approved the plans, while acknowledging the ‘somewhat unique relationship and layout’ of the surrounding roads of Martyrs Road and MacDonagh street.
With regards to the operating hours, the inspector made a comparison with a takeaway or shop, noting that a clinic working on an appointment-basis would not generate the same kind of footfall. They also felt that a noise management plan was necessary, as clients are unlikely to be ‘congregating in the narrow space’ near the boundary wall.
As a condition of the planning approval, the developer is required to make a contribution of €11,250 for public infrastructure, and in lieu of car parking spaces.