Womanclaims caféwouldlower housevalue
“Compensation for the full market price will have to be sought from the parties.”
PLANS by Sweet Beat restaurant to open up a new café/ restaurant in Waterfront House in the city centre have hit a 200- year- old stumbling block.
An elderly widow who lodged an objection to their planning application, claims her residence should be bought by the owners of Waterfront House as the café/ restaurant will have “devalued it to zero.”
Carolanne Rushe, owner of Sweet Beat Café on Bridge Street has applied to Sligo County Council for permission to run a café/ restaurant in what is currently an empty office space on the ground floor of Waterfront House.
Waterfront House also contains The Building Block co- working space.
Designed by Elizabeth Clyne of Noji Architects, also based in The Building Block, the proposed new café would include seating for 42 customers and a large kitchen.
However neighbouring proprietor Mrs Anne Marie Scanlon is objecting to the proposed café on health and safety and noise grounds.
She owns No. 5 Bridge Street, a two bed apartment above Tom Fox Auctioneer’s ( the first floor white building to the right of the blue Building Block building pictured right).
Her apartment shares the same back yard as Waterfront House.
The flat owns a legalised right of way which is used every day and a wheelie bin store at ground floor level in the same yard.
Ms Scanlon submitted that an historical breach of An Bord Pleanala’s planning conditions after an extension was built in the yard ended up in the High Court where her solicitor Mr Damian Tansey won her compensation for unwanted noise levels and the preventing of enjoyment of her home.
In her six- page letter to the Council, Ms Scanlon claims the 200- year- old beams of her floors adjoin Waterfront House over an archway.
She claims the sewage manhole under this archway was for household use only and is already overloaded, with “horrible disgusting sewage smells” that make their way into her flat.
“My property has more than enough noise levels to the front,” she wrote. “I do not want to experience sounds to the rear of my property to prevent residents and myself enjoying our home.
“Every citizen has the right to peace and quiet to the rear of their premises, let it be living accommodation or offices or other. I an entitled to enjoy my accommodation and balcony,” she said.
Other “unwanted noise levels” she fears include noises from frequent lorry and van deliveries which, along with the noise already to the front of her apartment, would make her dwelling “totally uninhabitable.”
Ms Scanlon pointed to the dangers of having a restaurant/ café or kitchen backing onto the rear of her flat: Pic:
“Fire, smoke, food and steam fumes, grease residue in the air causing a health hazard. Sligo County Council would not let Waterfront House to have any outlets of foul air grids to be placed in front, top or side of building, only where they are now, 10 ft from my accommodation and on the same level,” she said.
Ms Scanlon said wheelie bin smells that can cause serious chest complaints, toxic waste and foul kitchen and toilet smells would make their way in through her back windows and back door.
Other reasons for her objections are on privacy grounds:
“The gate is under my prop- erty in the archway and has remained a completely restricted area since 1979. If the gateway was opened to staff or others it would lead to an unsafe environment for residents,” and she would feel vulnerable.
“If these parties and owners of Waterfront House want a restaurant/ café I definitely feel they are obliged to buy my property as opposed to anyone else as they will have devalued it to the zero market sale price,” she told the Council.
“Compensation for the full market price sale will have to be sought from the responsible parties,” she added.
Sligo planners will decide on the application by June 20th.