Council turns down Moyvore whiskey plan

UPDATED:

The “Vault Storage” application to erect 12 whiskey storage warehouses in Moyvore has today, Tuesday, been refused planning permission by Westmeath County Council.

The reasons given by the council for the refusal were that the proposed development was  a large-scale industrial development which is at odds with this sensitive rural setting. The council said the project “would result in visual scarring of the rural landscape” and seriously detract from the scenic amenities.

It also said that the development would affect the residential amenity of a nearby existing dwelling; and that it would set an undesirable precedent and, therefore, be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area. 

The development was being proposed as the first phase of a €138m plan to create a major whiskey maturation facility on a 100 acre site on the eastern side of Moyvore village.

When the project was launched in July of last year, businessman Alan Wright, who was promoter of the proposal, said there would be 20-25 full time jobs when Phase 1 was complete, and that there would be eighty jobs during the contruction process.

He said the company already had commitments from three multi-national distillers who would fill 80 per cent of the space in Phase 1.

The plan was that in Phase 2, there would also be a museum/interpretative centre developed on the site.

Mr Wright said Vault Storage would be the largest standalone whiskey storage facility in Ireland..

“Westmeath County Council has scored an own goal,” was the reaction of Deputy Robert Troy this afternoon, stating that he believed the development would have brought enormous benefits to this area in terms of jobs.
“I am disappointed,” he said.

 

 

Westmeath County Council has turned down the application for a whiskey storage facility at Moyvore.

The €138m plan was to see a phased development of warehouses on the 100 acre site owned by the Wright family on the Mullingar side of Moyvore village.

“Westmeath County Council has scored an own goal,” was the reaction of Deputy Robert Troy this afternoon, who said the development would have brought enormous benefits to this area in terms of jobs.

The grounds given by the Council are:

                The proposed development is located at a visually prominent rural location along the R392. It is considered that the proposed development lacks both architectural merit and design reference and reflects a large-scale industrial development which is at odds with this sensitive rural setting.

 

By reason of its design, scale, massing and siting, it is considered that the development which requires significant manipulation of the site in order to accommodate same would result in an excessively prominent feature, would result in visual scarring of the rural landscape adversely impacting upon both short and long critical views and would seriously detract from the scenic amenities and setting of this rural landscape. To permit the development as proposed would materially contravene policies P-CS2, P-RE10 and P-LLM1of the Westmeath County Development Plan 2014-2020. The development would result in an ad-hoc unintegrated and unsustainable form of development and would set an undesirable precedent and would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

 

2.      The proposed development, by reason of its location to the rear of an existing dwelling would result in a visually dominant form and if permitted would result in a serious reduction in the residential amenity of the existing dwelling by reason of visual dominance resulting in an overbearing impact upon existing residential amenity and consequent devaluation of property. Therefore the proposed development, if permitted would set an undesirable precedent and would therefore be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.