CHAMBER CALLS FOR COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO PLANNING APPLICATIONS

7th February 2017

Commenting on the recent refusal of Offaly County Council to grant planning to the owners of The Bridge House Hotel for a new development in Tullamore town centre, Niall Mulligan, President of Tullamore & District Chamber of Commerce said, “I am extremely concerned that this investment may be lost to Tullamore. I call on Offaly County Council to collaborate with the promotors of this project to ensure a mutually agreeable and sustainable development progresses at this site.

“The Bridge House is a Tullamore icon, a major employer and a significant driver of local economic activity. A quality new development of similar scale, adjacent to the existing hotel, has the potential to augment the overall experience of visitors to Tullamore, and stimulate demand throughout the town centre.

“Opportunities to secure investment on this scale have been thin on the ground in recent years and it cannot stand that this opportunity should be squandered. No town has too many landmarks, too many icons. The design should indeed be bold, and if it is high enough in architectural quality then a modern appearance should not be a bar to progression.

“If the promotors believe in Tullamore, see fit to invest money here and want to create jobs here, Offaly County Council and all other stakeholders should support them as best they can in arriving at a design and format which is both commercially viable and in the long term best interests of the town.”