An Coimisiún Pleanála has given the green light to the development of a new storage and office facility at the harbour in Burtonport.
An application by Neil Doherty on behalf of Burtonport Fishermans Co-Op has been granted permission, subject to 14 conditions.
The application sought permission for the erection of four dry-goods storage united totalling 1,100 square metres and a 750-square metre two-storey office unit with solar panels and underground rain water storage facilities at Leckenagh, Burtonport.
The application, originally made to Donegal County Council in 2024, provided for connection to main sewerage system, proposed access road and parking with all associated site works.
The local authority granted conditional planning permission, but an appeal was made to An Coimisiún Pleanála.
Michael O’Boyle, who also lodged an objection to the County Council during the initial planning phase, had lodged a submission with the planning body.
Mr O’Boyle contested that the site is part of a flood zone and “will have serious impact on my historical railway building adjacent to the site because of inappropriate surface water discharge”.
He said that he and his late father were party to a previous agreement with Donegal County Council in respect of the site.
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Mr O’Boyle added that traffic would have serious impact on parking in the village, saying: “Council have been made aware of the parking congestion numerous times by the Burtonport Harbour Committee”
In earlier correspondence, which was lodged to Donegal County Council, Mr O’Boyle claimed that there was an agreement with the Boyle family to dispose of dredge on their cluster of small islands adjacent to the harbour.
He said that as part of the agreement, a plot of land was to be transferred for use as a public car park with space for 146 cars, however the project was ultimately scrapped.
Documents from the applicant say that the goods to be stored are “generally marine tourism and inshore fishing related and ‘seasonally rotated’ such as: nets used and stored for seasonable fishing; crab and lobster pots used and stored for seasonal fishing; marine related material supporting the two local ferry service and island community; and storage for the anticipated growth in marine tourism and associated leisure activities that are envisaged.”
An Coimisiún Pleanála determined that it is considered, subject to compliance with the conditions set out, the proposed development would be: “appropriate in terms of scale, height and layout, would not adversely impact on the amenity of neighbouring properties, nor impact on the character or visual amenity of the existing harbour area.”
The permission is subject to 14 conditions, including that mitigation measures in a Natura Impact Statement are implement and that the developer submits a car park management plan and details of car parking design, layout and management.
A construction management plan is also to be submitted for agreement to the planning authority while development and building, ding works are only to be carried out between 7am-7pm Monday-Friday, 8am-2pm on Saturdays and not at all on Sundays and public holidays.