Newcastle Residential & Retail Centre Still A Go

Exit on main street

t was eagle-eyed local resident Kim Harris who spotted the application back in November 2020.

And the woman has form, having unearthed an earlier Newcastle application in January 2020.

That particular application – for apartments and retail units beside The Castle Inn – was refused in March last year.

The latest, which comprises of houses, apartments and retail units sitting right beside The Castle Inn, got the green light in January 2021, and now a third party appeal lodged with An Bord Pleanala – citing the lack of Sewage Treatment Plant capacity and the flood risk – has been rejected.

A local survey of local residents saw 71% (179) opposed to the development, with 29% agreeing or abstaining. We’ve yet to confirm what percentage of the An Bord Pleanala panel chose to ignore the results.

Here’s the original application, since slightly altered…

Town Centre Mixed use development, Town Park and Linear Park comprising of the following: (A) 22 no. houses comprising of 1 no. house type A1 (three bedroom two storey detached unit), 2 no. house type A2 (three bedroom two storey semi-detached units), 8 no. house type A3 (three two storey bedroom semi-detached units), 6 no. house type B (four bedroom three storey semi-detached units), 6 no. house type B (four bedroom three storey semi-detached units), 1 no. house type C1 (four bedroom three storey detached unit), 2 no. house type C2 (four bedroom three storey semi-detached units), 2 no. house type D (four bedroom three storey detached units). 
(B) 2 no. Type E buildings, which comprise of 4 no. one bedroom apartments (2 no. apartments in each).
(C) Primary zone two storey building comprising 9 no. apartments (1 no. one bedroom, 3 no. two bedroom, 5 no. three bedroom) and 2 no. ground floor commercial units.
(D) Town Park Building comprising of 2 no. ground floor commercial units, 1  no. first floor commercial units.
(E) Provision of car parking spaces, bin stores, bicycle stores, public lighting within deverlopment.
(F) Provision of new landscaped Town Park and Linear Park with new civic spaces providing hard and soft landscaping within the development along all associated site development, new boundary treatments and landscaping works.
(G) Installation of underground storm water attenuation tank and connection to all public services.
(H) Provision of new vehicular entrance off main street providing for sufficient traffic sight lines onto public road along all necessary ancillary and site works to facilitate this development.
(I) Provision of new footpath to link The Castle Inn public house to the new Town Park. Car parking for Town Park building shall be located in the existing car park behind Public House.

All the handy work of ABBD Development Ltd, an early assumption that this was the Doyle clan who own The Castle Inn was dismissed by family member Ben (who this year stepped down from managing said pub) as “fake news“. Even though he’s supposed to be one of the Bs. Or is it ABBA, with a new member?

The reaction online within Newcastle itself to the initial application was somewhat divided from nays such as ‘Concrete jungle, no, no, no’ and ‘Once these spaces are gone there is no way to get them back‘ to yays such as ‘Build the houses for our children and their children‘ and ‘I’m 21 and personally, I would love to continue to live in Newcastle and eventually own my own house‘.

You can check out the 20298 planning application here, along with the original plans here.