This proposed single storey restaurant was intended to be erected on a site situated adjacent to the N62 at the junction of Clongour Road and Slievenamon Road, south of a proposed and as yet unfunded inner relief road close to Lidl Supermarket.
If erected same would immediately invade the privacy of a large cluster of private residential properties, already erected within meters of the surrounding area.
The appeal rightly raises concerns about the impact on the residents of the area; pedestrian safety due to undoubted traffic congestion, and the existing biodiversity, especially close to the nearby Thurles River Walk. Tipperary County Council had granted permission on April 9th 2025, but with some 15 conditions attached. These conditions included limiting the restaurant to operating strictly between the hours of 6:00am and 10:00pm, instead of the day and night permission, which had initially been sought by McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland Limited.
Further submissions on this appeal can be made, up until June 4th 2025, at a cost of €50.
Application Ref: 2560357. Applicant: Coolross Homes Ltd. Development Address: Thurles Townparks Bohernamona And Bowling Green, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Development Description: for the following works: a) alterations to previously approved planning permission register reference 21/279 in respect of the Blocks No. 1-8 inclusive only; b) the alterations relate to the general redesign and alteration to the floor area & elevations. Status: n/a. Application Received: 24/04/2025. Decision Date: n/a. Further Details:http://www.eplanning.ie/TipperaryCC/AppFileRefDetails/2560357/0.
Application Ref: 2560354. Applicant: Rory O’Regan. Development Address: Knockroe, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Development Description: Construction of a new milk truck access road and for construction of a milking parlour, dairy and ancillary rooms, drafting and handling facilities, waiting yard, meal bin, water storage tank and underground slatted soiled water storage tank. Status: n/a. Application Received: 24/04/2025. Decision Date: n/a. Further Details:http://www.eplanning.ie/TipperaryCC/AppFileRefDetails/2560354/0.
Application Ref: 2560150. Applicant: Tipperary Education and Training Board. Development Address: Colaiste Mhuire Co Ed Castlemeadows , Thurles , Co. Tipperary. Development Description: 6 relocated car-parking spaces, extension to internal access road with all ancillary site works necessary to facilitate the proposed development. Status: Conditional. Application Received: 28/02/2025. Decision Date: 15/04/2025. Further Details:http://www.eplanning.ie/TipperaryCC/AppFileRefDetails/2560150/0.
Application Ref: 2460906. Applicant: Charlie Hartnett. Development Address: Clongower , Thurles , Co Tipperary. Development Description: 4 no sites for 4 single storey houses, 4 domestic garages, 4 number treatment tanks percolation areas and entrances. Status: Conditional. Application Received: 22/10/2024. Decision Date: 17/04/2025. Further Details:http://www.eplanning.ie/TipperaryCC/AppFileRefDetails/2460906/0.
Speaking in Dáil Éireann the newly elected north Tipperary Fianna Fáil TD Mr Ryan O’Meara, has concurred that the town of Thurles is being strangled by traffic issues; requiring immediate attention for an inner relief road. Same, if funding was provided, would link the N62 at Slievenamon Road to the Mill Road, thus providing a third vehicle bridge.
Proposed Inner Relief Road for Thurles
[Funny that, VIEW HERE. Back in 2021, we here in Thurles were previously informed that funding had already been acquired.]
However, many residents believe that Mr Ryan O’Meara has been fed false or inaccurate information and most business leaders see the proposed inner relief road as further waste of public funding. An inner relief road already exists via the Mill Road, same entering and exiting south of Thurles at Turtulla Cross on the N62, which has seen 3 vehicles crash and be written-off, within the past 12 months.
Any new inner relief will only permit the exit and entering of vehicles closer into the town centre, with HGV traffic still required to travel to the four corners of Ireland, directly through our medieval streetscapes, which for the past 4 years have become a bottle neck, currently existing for all vehicles attempting to pass through Thurles town centre.
The only piece of common sense and perhaps even a small glimmer of hope was expressed by An Taoiseach, Mr Micheál Martin TD, responding to our misinformed, raw recruit, Mr Ryan O’Meara. Mr Martin stated that the long queues of traffic being experienced, would become a thing of the past, if Thurles had a ring road/bypass and he would try to feed that into an expected review of the present National Development Plan.
As for Fianna Fáil TD, Mr Ryan O’Meara’s speech interjection in Dáil Éireann; same was perceived and smelled of the scent of a vote catching press release, same greedily accepted from his Nenagh office by local press, who were obviously experiencing a slow news day.
Correspondence forwarded, by Tipperary Co. Council on the 9th of April last, 2025, to McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland Ltd. regarding their applications for the granting of planning permission for a drive-thru McDonald’s Restaurant here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, [Ref. No. 2460829]; we can now confirm that permission has been granted.
The correspondence forwarded to McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland Ltd. reads as follows:
A Chara, In pursuance of the powers conferred upon them by the above mentioned Acts, Tipperary County Council has by Order dated 09/04/2025 decided to grant you permission for development of land namely:-the development of a single storey drive-thru restaurant including the ancillary sale of hot food for consumption off the premises with an associated corral area, elevational signage, modifications to existing vehicular access off the Thurles Relief Road, car parking including accessible parking spaces, grill bays, EV charging spaces, bicycle parking, a height restrictor, customer order points with associated canopies, totem signage, free-standing signage, banner frames and digital menu boards, ESB substation and kiosk, landscaping including outdoor furniture/seating area with parasols, boundary treatments, lighting, and all associated site and engineering works necessary to facilitate the development.
A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) has been prepared and is submitted to the planning authority with the application at Land at Slievenamon Road and Thurles Relief Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
For the reason(s) stated in schedule 1 and subject to the condition(s) stated on schedule 2 (1 to 15, pages 1 to 3). If there is no appeal against the said decision, a Grant of permission in accordance with the Decision shall be issued as soon as maybe, but not earlier than 3 working days after the expiration of the period within which an appeal may be made to An Bord Pleanala. (See Footnote at end of document). It should be noted that until a Grant of a Permission has been issued the development in question is not authorised. The applicant is advised that unless the development described above is carried out within five (5) years from the date of Grant of PERMISSION, planning permission will cease to have effect.
Signed on behalf of Geraldine Quinn, (Director of Services) – Date: 9th April, 2025.
Amongst the many conditions included in the permission granted are:– The development, should it go ahead, will not be permitted to operate outside the hours of 6:00am and 10:00pm, unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Planning Authority. REASON:In the interests of residential amenity.
Prior to development commencing detailed design of the ventilation, air conditioning and mechanical equipment required to service the development shall be submitted for the written agreement of the Planning Authority. The equipment shall be located as per the details proposed and shall incorporate noise and odour mitigation measures in the design. REASON: In the interest of residential and visual amenity.
Lighting will not be permitted to impact significantly on the amenities of adjoining properties or the safety of traffic on the public road. In the event that the Planning Authority receives complaints from neighbouring properties about light spillage, the Planning Authority will request the carrying out of a survey, by a suitably qualified person. REASON: In the interest of residential amenity and traffic safety.
Free field noise levels attributable to the development (when assessed at all noise sensitive locations) during operation shall not exceed 55d B LAeq,T.
This grant of permission does not extend to the banner frames located at the northwestern and western ends of the site. These shall be omitted. Details of the banner frame and sign at the site entrance shall be submitted for the written agreement of the Planning Authority prior to development commencing.
All surface waters drainage from the site shall be discharged to the surface water sewer as proposed via a class 1 Petrol Interceptor. The surface water drainage system shall be revised to incorporate nature based sustainable drainage measures that shall be integrated with the soft landscaping and tree planting proposals. Details of these measures shall be illustrated on a revised drainage plan for the site (to a scale of 1:500) that shall be submitted for the written agreement of the Planning Authority prior to development commencing.
EPA announces funding of €6.6million for targeted new research projects to address environmental, climate and sustainability challenges.
The EPA today announces funding of €6.6million for new research that will address environmental, climate and sustainability challenges in Ireland.
Funding will support targeted research projects that address specific needs from across the policy community, with a focus on shorter projects to provide timely outputs.
Proposals are invited under 29 individual topics, including how we can enhance the reuse of water in Ireland, assessing methane emissions and exploring the impact of global megatrends on achieving environmental objectives.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced research funding of up to €6.6 million for new environmental research. The EPA is inviting proposals from the research community for innovative projects under 29 topics that will contribute to the development and implementation of environmental policies in Ireland.
Announcing the EPA funding call, Dr Eimear Cotter, (Director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment) said: “The EPA’s continued investment in research underscores its critical role in addressing knowledge gaps and supporting effective policy responses to the challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation. In 2024, we were delighted to see an 80 per cent increase in applications to the EPA research call, highlighting the significant opportunity that researchers see for their work to contribute to environmental and climate policy development, and we hope to see a similarly strong response to our 2025 call.”
Research topics to be funded include:
assessing the performance of policies on achieving our climate targets;
examining how Ireland’s infrastructure can be resilient to population growth and climate change in the future;
exploring the impact of global megatrends such as artificial intelligence on environmental objectives;
how we can enhance the reuse of water in Ireland, and
analysing methane emissions from natural sources and human activities in Ireland.
Dr Darragh O’Neill, (EPA Research Manager”), stated, “The EPA is inviting proposals across 29 topics to address specific knowledge gaps. To strengthen the connection between research and policy, the EPA will support the successful research teams in working closely with the policy community to deliver impactful research outcomes. We particularly encourage early career researchers to apply and to consider the relevance of their research to the environment, climate and sustainability.”
The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative, funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. Applications are accepted from across the island of Ireland, including from higher education institutions, research performing organisations, private companies and non-governmental organisations. Under this year’s call, the EPA is delighted to be partnering with Met Éireann, the Office of Public Works and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to co-fund projects in areas of mutual interest.
Further details about the 2025 EPA Research Call and how to apply for funding is available on the EPA Website.
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