Planning regulator calls on Kerry County Council to scrap plans for multi-storey car park

Seán McCárthaigh

The State’s planning watchdog has called on Kerry County Council to remove plans for a new multi-storey car park in Killarney which are contained in a proposed revision of the existing Kerry County Development Plan 2022-2028.

The Office of the Planning Regulator claimed the measure was not consistent with national and regional policy objectives to improve air quality and promote sustainable transport.

The OPR raised concerns about a policy objective within the proposed variation to the development plan that states the council will “facilitate the provision of a multi-storey car park in Killarney at an appropriate location.”

Council officials have previously identified the existing New Street Car Park in Killarney as a suitable location with estimates a multi-storey facility on the site could provide 516 spaces.

It was projected that the three-storey building could deliver a net gain of almost 300 parking spaces at an estimated cost of €12.7m.

However, the OPR pointed out that the proposal was being made at the same time that the council considered that there was already sufficient car parking within the town – both on-street and in car parks.

According to the local authority, there are a total of 1,373 car park spaces in public car parks in Killarney with additional parking spaces available in private car parks and on-street spaces.

The OPR noted that there had already been a recent public consultation over a proposal for an additional 139 parking spaces at Green Lawn off Mission Road, Killarney.

Councillors in Killarney voted last week by a narrow majority to proceed with plans for the car park near St Mary’s Cathedral, despite strong opposition from local residents and reservations by gardaí that it would exacerbate traffic congestion in the area.

The variation has been proposed by Kerry County Council to provide a settlement plan for the Killarney Municipal District Area in order to provide a comprehensive local planning framework with clear policies and objectives.

The council said the proposed variation was also informed by a Local Transport Plan (LTP) which was welcomed by the OPR for promoting a shift from private cars to use of sustainable transport modes.

“This will be essential to achieving national mandatory climate action targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030,” said OPR deputy regulator and director of plans evaluation, Anne Marie O’Connor.

However, in a submission to Kerry County Council on behalf of the OPR, Ms O’Connor expressed concern that measures and strategy contained in the LTP have not been adequately prioritised in the proposed variation.

She recommended that more explicit policy supports should be given by the council to ensure the use of more sustainable transport modes was encouraged and implemented.

The OPR noted that it only issued recommendations in response to what it regarded as “clear breaches” of planning legislation and policy objectives.

It also issued a separate recommendation over concerns that zonings for undeveloped lands and existing development in areas that have been identified as being at risk of flooding have not been subject to a justification test.

In other submissions, HSE South West claimed the proposed variation does not reflect an in-depth understanding of pending demographic changes and the health needs of an aging population in Killarney and Co Kerry.

The HSE said the population in the county was expanding at a rate above the national average particularly in the 50-84 years age groups.

“Throughout the document there is no reflection of an understanding of the different requirements that the aging population of Kerry/Killarney is going to pose over the next 15 years,” said HSE integrated healthcare area manager, Julie O’Neill.

She pointed out that it is expected that over 20% of the population in Kerry will be over 65 by 2040, while numbers over 85 are projected to more than double over the same period.

The HSE has urged Kerry County Council to embed age-friendly principles and guidelines developed for local authorities within the revised county development plan including in relation to transportation, community support and health services and housing.

Meanwhile, the ESB called on the council to identify optimal locations for a new substation in the northern part of Killarney as it warned that plans for new housing could go unfilled without such infrastructure.

It claimed the electricity grid in the region currently lacks sufficient capacity to support the target of 1,277 new dwellings under the development plan.

The chairperson of Killarney Town Retailers Association, Williamm Sheehan, called for a limit on the amount of hospitality businesses on key trading streets in the town.

Mr Sheehan, a local pharmacy owner, observed that the proposed variation had claimed that increasing the level of restaurants, cafés and coffee shops in Killarney town centre was important.

He also claimed it was unfair for the council to state in the document that the retail offering was no longer the primary reason why people were attracted to town centres due to the increase in online shopping and free delivery.

Mr Sheehan said retailers “want the conditions in place from our local authority to continue to remain vibrant.”

Kerry County Council will prepare a revised version of the proposed variation following consideration of almost 90 third-party submissions and observations.