162-year-old Wicklow building to be demolished to make way for arcade

Plans to demolish a 162-year-old Victorian building and replace it with a two-storey children’s amusement arcade at Bray seafront have been approved by An Bord Pleanála (ABP), with conditions, despite appeals by residents over the loss of “an intrinsic element of the iconic image of Bray Seafront”.

The building, at 1 Marlborough Terrace, Strand Road, in Bray, was most recently home to the popular Campo De Fiori Italian restaurant, which closed in 2019 following the decision of its owners, Laura Chiavini and Marco Roccasalvo, to return home to Sardinia.

Permission was then sought in March 2022 for the building to be demolished and replaced with an arcade by Bentley Leisure Limited. The company had sought retention permission in 2016 for illuminated signage to the front facade of its premises next door, the Silver Strand Amusement Centre, but was refused as it contravened the provisions of the Bray Town Development Plan 2011- 2017, specifically with regard to shop front design.

In October, 2022, Wicklow County Council (WCC) granted permission for the work to go ahead at Marlborough Terrace, subject to conditions, resulting in appeals by local residents, including Kevin and Deirdre Wolahan, who expressed their “surprise” at the outcome.

“We would contend that it would injure to a great extent, the said amenities and properties,” they said. “Unfortunately, we do not consider that WCC’s planning authority takes Victorian architecture seriously enough. This decision is another in a line of recent WCC decisions that allowed a Victorian building to be demolished (ref. St. Paul’s Lodge, Herbert Road to make way for a car park, 2018, and the removal of the iconic cast-iron railings along Strand Road in 2013 and 2016). We cannot therefore concur with WCC’s decision, and hereby seek its overturning.”

Describing the building as “an intrinsic element of the iconic image of Bray Seafront”, they argued the introduction of another arcade so close to the existing Silver Strand casino would be hugely detrimental to the area.

“It is inconceivable to propose that an entire building, which in this case is effectively an extension to an existing casino (run by the applicants), can be dedicated to introducing children to and nurturing them towards the now questionable culture of gaming machines and gambling arcades. There are enough gambling arcades in the vicinity of this site.”

It should be noted that the application is for a children’s amusement arcade, and not a casino or gambling arcade.

Notwithstanding the intent of the applicants, a further appeal was submitted by Chris and Mandy Comerford, who said the “proximity of a children’s amusement arcade to adult gaming is not in the interests of the local community or those in the broader Bray area.

“As parents of young and teenage children living close to the proposed development, we are concerned that this development in this area may encourage unhealthy engagement with gaming culture in young people.

“A children’s amusement arcade on the corner of one of the busiest arteries to Bray seafront may attract large numbers of youths to loiter outside the arcade and make it difficult for pedestrians and motorists (particularly those with reduced mobility) to safely pass onto the seafront from Albert Avenue.”

In a submission by Liz McManus, it was argued the decision “to create a new gaming/amusement arcade targeting children is highly undesirable and inappropriate in a public setting used mainly by families”. She added, in what would prove to be a crucial factor in ABP’s decision, “in previous development plans for Bray there was a restriction to ensure that only current gaming use would be tolerated and no expansion permitted”.

Other observations included the potential for anti-social behaviour and loitering associated with the proposed development, while the justification for demolishing the building was also raised, given it is located on a very prominent plaza area in Bray and is supposed to be part of a protected view. The path leading to ABP’s decision is a convoluted one, and the planning history of the site is a thicket of twists and turns.

A split decision issued by the planning authority saw permission being granted in April 2019 for the change of use from restaurant to amusements. But permission was refused for alterations to the east and south elevations at ground floor level. This element of the development was refused for reasons which included “having regard to the location of the proposed development on the Bray Seafront, an area of high symbolic, cultural, social and economic importance”.

Planning permission had been granted in October 2006 for a partial change of use from amusement arcade to coffee shop, deli and ice cream parlour, where previously it had been refused for a “replacement amusement arcade of reduced size at ground floor level, with ancillary facilities at first and second floor levels”, for reasons which again addressed the need “to protect and enhance the character of the seafront area and to provide for the development and improvement of appropriate tourism uses, consistent with protection of residential amenity. It is considered that the proposed development, by reason of its sighting and scale, would be out of character with the existing 19th century seafront, would conflict with the architectural character of the area and would seriously injure the amenities of Bray seafront. The proposed development would, therefore, be contrary to the proper planning and development of the area.”

The first party response to the third party appeal came in December 2022, and urged ABP to consider such factors as the “historic fabric of the building [which] both inside and out, has been lost over the years” and pointed to design updates which would provide for “a contemporary facade that is more appropriate to the seafront setting”.

Regarding its use as a children’s arcade, the applicant said that the proposals “aim to invest in the area through replacing a disused and substandard building with a modern and adaptable structure that will ensure active uses will be maintained along the seafront.”

In its assessment, ABP referred to the objectives of the Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 and the Bray Municipal District Local Area Plan 2018-2024, including those for the seafront, which state it “shall be promoted as the primary tourist, recreational and leisure centre of Bray”.

Following the opinion of its inspector, who said a children’s arcade is a compatible use with this objective and is one that “can contribute to and complement the mix of uses in the area”, the board decided, on a vote of two to one, to grant permission.

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