The owners of a city centre retail premises have been refused planning permission for use of the property as a Subway sandwich bar.
This is because both Galway City Council and An Bord Pleanála are opposed to any move to convert the ground floor of premises on ‘principal streets’ from retail to non-retail uses.
According to planners, such a move would be contrary to the Galway City Council Development Plan. A hot food counter would be only be allowed if it was ancillary to the prime retail unit.
The owners of the retail unit at 12 High Street say that it had been operating as a Londis shop for two years and this proved unsuccessful for the tenants who have a long-term lease on the property.
It is described in the planning file as a three-storey historic building which has now been transformed into a Subway take-away and eat-in food outlet. There is signage on the shop front and a projecting sign above the ground floor level.
The owners, Seamus Griffin Jr, Jonathon Corbett and Derek Corbett of Tolmur Limited, sought retention for the change of use of the ground floor from retail and deli area to a sandwich bar and seating area.
Retention was also sought for the provision of a seating area at first floor level, a preparation area and toilets and for projecting signage at the front of the building.
Galway City Council refused permission and this decision was then appealed to An Bord Pleanála who also turned it down.
The Appeals Board said that the City Development Plan seeks to restrict the conversion of the ground floor of premises on the principal streets of the city centre from retail to non-retail uses.
“High Street is one of these principal streets. It is considered that this policy, which seeks to preserve these streets as main shopping streets in accordance with the retail strategy for the city centre, is reasonable.
“It is therefore considered that the development proposed to be retained would materially contravene the provisions of the development plan, would set an undesirable precedent for the change of use of other retail premises to non-retail use on the principal shopping streets, and would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area,” they stated in their ruling.
The applicants had said that the premises was too small to operate successfully as a viable retail unit with adequate display and storage. They said that reason for the change of use was to safeguard the tenancy and the viability of the unit.
It was also said that the ground floor of this premises was operated as a hot bread shop during the 1980s, so the sandwich bar use is consistent with businesses that had been there in the past.
The post Planners reject application to keep Subway outlet in place appeared first on Connacht Tribune - Galway City Tribune.