Plans for revamp of Circle K on N11 referred to An Bord Pleanála
PLANS for a huge revamp of the Circle K service station at Kilmacanogue on the N11 southbound have been referred to An Bord Pleanála after a local councillor and residents lodged a third-party appeal.
Submitted by Circle K Ireland Energy Limited in July last year, expansive plans for a 52.2sqm extension to the eastern side of the service station retail building and internal modifications and additions, including new customer toilets and an area for the sale of alcohol for consumption off the premises (off-licence use), were granted by Wicklow County Council in December, despite a raft of submissions.
Submissions included two from councillors Rory O’Connor and Joe Behan, who voiced their concerns over “noise, light and litter pollution”, the potential impact on air quality and the lack of electric vehicle charging points – with permission also being sought for 17 additional parking spaces, the extension of the forecourt fuel area and one additional pump island as part of the development.
Three weeks after the local authority’s decision, three appellants lodged a third-party appeal, including Cllr Behan, who had noted in his original submission that the applicant, “being a major fuel retailer in this country, currently operates three retail filling stations, including this one, within a radius of less than half a mile.”
He added: “It is corporate greed of staggering proportions for this corporate entity to squeeze additional income from an already over developed site when two other filling stations in its ownership are close by.
“The noise, light pollution and litter pollution caused by the existing filling station have caused devastating upset, particularly to one of the residents living closest to it.
“I do not believe that Wicklow County Council should add to this general upset and inconvenience by allowing this filling station to extend its facilities and thereby add to the nuisance currently being experienced by local people.”
Cllr Behan also questioned the need for additional fuel pumps on a site “which already contains three pump islands, each of which has eight fuel pumps making a total of 24 carbon fuel pumps” and also raised fears over the “ongoing speeding, noise and general road and pedestrian safety hazards present on the parallel access road to this facility [which] are already intolerable”.
The case is due to be decided by An Bord Pleanála by May 15, 2024.