Old Nenagh pub saved from demolition

‘Traditional shopfronts’ prioritised as An Bord Pleanála overturns decision

‘Traditional shopfronts’ were a key consideration for An Bord Pleanála in overturning a plan to demolish Nenagh's former Malt House pub.

Tipperary Co Council had granted conditional planning permission to Margaret Fogarty and Andrew Fogarty for the demolition of derelict buildings and construction of three two-storey terraced dwelling houses at 7 and 8 MacDonagh St. The site contains the former Malt House pub, which has been closed for several years.

The council planner's report stated that “the existing building has no architectural value in terms of original shopfronts, etc, and on this basis I am satisfied the proposed development will not negatively impact on the Architectural Conservation Area”.

The council's decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála by Anna Brislane, owner of an adjoining property, who objected to the application on a number of grounds. Among these, the appellant claimed there was a misleading proposal description and raised concerns over parking, as well as flooding caused by sewerage, among other concerns.

In response, the applicant stated that they had intended to renovate the building as a commercial premises but there was no parking for such properties in Nenagh town centre. The site was sloping and could not comply with the building regulations to convert the existing building envelop into apartments.

The only viable option was to demolish the building and construct three houses.

INSPECTOR OVER-RULED

On assessing the case, An Bord Pleanála's inspector recommended granting planning permission subject to revised conditions. However, the board chose not to accept the recommendation and decided to refuse planning.

“Having regard to the prominent corner location of the site in an Architectural Conservation Area,” the board stated, “to the established built form and character of MacDonagh Street and Rossa Place, and to the existing buildings on the site, which are considered to be of importance to the streetscapes, it is considered that the proposed design response, consisting of a mix of roof types and window and door positioning, would be at variance with the established architectural pattern and rhythm of the area, including in particular along a significant length of Rossa Place, would be incongruous in terms of its architectural design treatment, out of character with the streetscape and would not adequately adhere to Policies 7.5 and 7.6 of the Nenagh Local Area Plan 2024-2030 in respect of development in an Architectural Conservation Area.”

The board was not satisfied that the demolition of the existing buildings onsite could be sufficiently justified when considered against the Nenagh and Environs LAP.

“The loss of the traditional shopfronts has equally not been adequately justified,” the board stated.

“In deciding not to accept the inspector's recommendation to grant permission, the board shared the inspector’s concerns regarding design within an Architectural Conservation Area; however, the board did not concur with the inspector that this could be adequately addressed by way of a planning condition in this instance.

“Furthermore, the board was not satisfied that the proposal for demolition of the structures on site as against the refurbishment and retrofitting, and the loss of traditional shopfronts, both contrary to policy, have been resolved.”

MALT HOUSE HISTORY

The Malt House pub was named after the brewery that once occupied the area behind the wall of the adjacent lane (now Sheahans Homevalue hardware premises). Malting at the site dates back to the 1700s.

While it was discontinued in the nineteenth century, malting was revived in the early 1900s and continued until 1981 when Minch Norton withdrew.

The lane, now called Rossa Place (after nineteenth century MP for Tipperary Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa), was once known as Brewery Lane. There was a pub on the corner from as far back as the 1840s when it was run by Sophia Bannerth and, unsually for the time, had a billiard saloon at the back.

In her book ‘Walkabout Nenagh’ (1994), local historian the late Nancy Murphy recounted how the opposite wall and mouth of the laneway comprised an “informal ball alley”. The pub, then Eamon Ryan's, was a “mecca of darts players”.