2020 Vision for Athy - Entire Document - Kildare.ie

Heritage
Athy is a designated Heritage Town, due to its long history and important buildings such as White’s Castle,
Cromaboo Bridge, Woodstock Castle and the Town Hall and Court House at Emily Square. In the Town Hall the
Athy Heritage Centre is situated.
Tourism
Athy’s Heritage, the high amenity value of green spaces and waterways as well as the wide range of recreational
facilities represent the main factors, which draw tourists to Athy and its surroundings. The Athy Tourist Office,
together with the Athy Heritage Centre, is located in the Town Hall on Emily Square. At present there is one Hotel
in Athy, in Tonlegee, quite remote from the town centre. There are at present two applications before the Town
Council for new hotels. Further, a number of guesthouses, Bed & Breakfasts, self-catering units and farmhouses
cater for tourists and visitors.
Planning Applications
There has been a large number of planning applications in Athy since 1996. For the purpose of this Study only the
more substantial ones have been considered, namely those over 10 residential units and any substantial application
for retailing, offices, industry and warehousing. In the process of developing possible land use scenarios in
Section 7 every planning application in the following list has been taken into account as existing, i.e. has been
granted permission and will be developed.
Table 3.7 Granted and Pending Planning Applications (March 2003)
Address Residential Units Sq m Retail Sq m Industry Sq m Office
Sq m
Warehousing
Granted Planning Permissions (not yet developed)
Leinster Street/Stanhope Street 322 316
'Dun Brinn', Ardrew 268
Gallowshill, Dublin Road 2900 590 1462
Flinters Field, Michael Dooley Terrace 348
The Abbey, Emily Square Hotel
Kilkenny Road, Bennettsbridge 154
Coneyburrow 368
Athy Rowing Club, Monasterevin Road 90
Rathstewart Townland, Monasterevin Rd 131
Bothar Bui, Dublin Road 16
Dublin Road, Gallowshill 8826
Prusselstown 70
Pending Planning Applications
Canal Side 14 600 600
Russeltown 2471.69
Holmcroft, Fortbarrington Road 22
Boherboy 42
Bray Upper 15
Emily Square 4146
Gallowshill Hotel
Offaly Street, Townspark Ind. Estate 1709.9
Mount Offaly, Offaly Street 72
Church Road 16
Ballitore 39
Ardrew 20
Aughboura Chanterlands 32
The Grove, Leinster Street 51
Boherboy 20
The above planning applications approximately provide 1,450 residential units and 600 jobs. In order to predict the
number of jobs provided certain assumptions have to be made in relation to the site coverage of different land uses
such as retail, office, industrial and warehousing, and the number of persons employed per square metre. These
assumptions are summarised below:
Athy IFPLUT Study 29 Final Report December 2004