Plans for Laois petrol station to be transformed into crèche
Leanbh mo Chroi in Rathdowney is in need of more space for its childcare services
A Laois shop and filling station could be transformed into a childcare facility as part of a nearby crèche’s expansion plans.
The owners and operators of Leanbh mo Chroi in Rathdowney, Lisgorm Services Ltd., have applied for planning permission to change the use of Keane’s Service Station as part of their plans to extend their current facility.
The childcare facility is hoping to expand its premises by linking with the neighbouring service station in the Mooreville area of Rathdowney.
Kevin and Pauline Keane are the current owners of the filling station, however as they intend to retire soon, they have allowed for the crèche to enquire about planning permission for the site.
Lisgorm Services Ltd. will purchase the site if they can get planning permission for the development.
According to the planning documents, the crèche “has grown to such an extent that extra space is required for the afterschool children.
“So when the opportunity came that the owners of this filling station wanted to retire, the applicant decided that it would be ideal to extend her existing childcare facility into the filling station, noting that the filling station property afforded much needed additional outdoor play area.”
The planning application seeks to change the use of the shop and filling station to a childcare facility. The shop would be used for two childcare rooms.
An extra afterschool room, toilet block, as well as lobby and waiting area is also proposed to be constructed to the rear and side of the existing shop.
Lisgorm Services Ltd. hope to retain the dwelling house and strip of garden to the back of the site and so the site would also be subdivided to separate the dwelling house from the rest of the site.
The application also looks to construct new boundary walls to the front and eastern boundaries, close the existing crèche entrance and open two new entrances to form a one-way access and exit to the site, remove the front portion of wall between the existing crèche and the proposed parking area, and also to remove existing signage which will be replaced by new signage for the crèche.
It is proposed to construct a new soft playing area to the immediate rear of the extension and the larger area will be kept in grass.
The development does not require additional car parking spaces as the attending children will walk from the adjoining school to the crèche and will only need to be collected from the front of the property.
As part of the plans, the petrol pumps and underground fuel tanks will have to be decommissioned and the forecourt canopy removed.
According to the planning documents, Lisgorm Services Ltd. had intended to leave the fuel pumps as is and install a card system to purchase fuel. However, discussions with Emo Oil led to the discovery that a “number of items were not compliant with the Dangerous Substances Act.”
“Taking into account the existing trade would not justify the cost of getting the station into compliance plus the investment involved in installing a non attended system, added to the fact that children would have to traverse the area over the fuel tanks.”
It was decided that the only option was to decommission the fuel tanks and Ovaro Ltd have been employed to carry out the decommission work.
Laois County Council are due to make their decision on the planning application by September 21.