Plans to build accommodation for staff at world famous Kerry golf course appealed on ‘road safety concerns’

Plans to build staff accommodation in the one of the county’s busiest tourist villages have been halted following an appeal by the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) over concerns about road safety.

One of Kerry most famous golf clubs Hogs Head Golf Club in Waterville had applied to Kerry County Council to construct accommodation for its staff at the former Brookhaven Guesthouse in Spukane, Waterville.

The works included internal alterations to the existing guesthouse and demolition of single storey building with plans to construct a new single storey building with 20 double bedrooms including a communal lounge area. The plans by A&M Hogs Head Golf Club also included construction of another single building with a laundry room and utilities area. 17 parking spaces and bicycle stands were also to be developed on the site.

Kerry County Council granted planning with several conditions having also sought further information on several aspects of the proposed development including regarding exiting the site onto the Ring of Kerry National Secondary Route.

In a letter seeking further information the local authority said that the developers should consider redesigning the development to an appropriate scale and in line with the existing development on site given its location on a national route.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) also raised these concerns in their submission to the local authority on the proposed development.

In their submission they said this development would lead to “intensification of an existing access to a national road contrary to official policy” and would “adversely affect the operation and safety of the national road.”

In response to the concerns the developers said this would not be the case and that the traffic entering and exiting the new development would be reduced as a shuffle bus would operate from the staff accommodation to the golf course therefore reducing the need for cars by staff. Many of the staff given the age profile would also not have cars. They said that when it operated as an B&B 14 vehicles used the site which now be reduced to three and the shuttle bus. They said they could not reduce the scale/numbers would not be viable given

However, the council’s decision has now been appealed to An Bord Pleanála by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) who have re-iterated their concerns about road safety and said allowing the development to go ahead goes against national policies.

These state that there should be no new access point created on onto a national road or the generation of increased traffic. They said this provisions applied to all developments including rural housing regardless of the applicants position. TII said the development which will access the route from an existing exit will “inevitably bring additional vehicular movements.”

The road authority said reducing direct access and intensification of the use of direct access on to a national road can and does reduce road deaths.

TII also said that granting permission would create planning precedent for other potential developments on national routes.

Cllr Michael Cahill has criticised the policies that prevent access from new developments onto national routes and has said that these too affect young families wanting to live in rural areas.

“The recent intervention by Transport Infrastructure Ireland in lodging an objection to planning permission for staff quarters for the Hogs Head Golf Club, proves my point, that young people living along National Primary and National Secondary roads like the N70 Ring of Kerry, are under a life sentence of not being able to build their own home on their own land,” he said.

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