O’Connell Street is location for a second Insomina

A second Insomnia café Sligo is set to open in Sligo town centre after County planners gave the chain the go ahead last week.

It’s despite an objection to the planning application due to the “proliferation of café/coffee shops” in the town centre.

Insomnia applied last December for permission to change the use of a former hair salon into one of their cafés at 34 O’Connell Street.

Vincent Hannon Architects made a submission on behalf of Mr Damien Callaghan on 25 th January objecting to the café.

They said there were already “a high number of coffee shops/ restaurants and pubs” within the centre of Sligo.

“The over-supply of such shops negatively effects [sic] the mix of commercial variety within the town and provides no benefits to the evening economy or late-night shopping,” he wrote.

Mr Callaghan also objected to the proposed elevational design of the outside front of the café which “appears to have been taken direct from the Insomnia branding handbook” - “The street has a local character that needs to be protected.”

However county planners felt differently. They said the site, and others like it, had been vacant for a number of years.

They said Insomnia’s application would result in the occupation of a prominent vacant unit in the city centre and “this is to be welcomed.”

County planners granted Insomnia permission subject to seven conditions, including hand painted street signs.