Development plan · Kildare County Council
Kildare County Development Plan 2023–2029 — Chapter 15: Development Management Standards
One part of the council's development plan written statement, which the council publishes in parts. Variations adopted since are not in this text.
Kildare County Council · 2023–2029 · 75 pages
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- • The extent to which it is relevant to consider the imposition of restrictions on the nature and range of goods permitted for sale. The Planning Authority will consider hours of operation in assessing planning applications for retail development and may attach conditions restricting same. 15.13.2 Local Centres In local centres it is a requirement to maintain a balance of appropriate commercial, service, and residential uses. In assessing proposals, the Planning Authority will have regard to the need to maintain and enhance the vitality, viability, and the character of the area. The impact of proposed development on the primacy of town centres will also be an important consideration in determining any proposal for development. 15.13.3 Shopping Centres Shopping centres must conform to the highest urban design standards, as is required in the Retail Planning Guidelines for Planning Authorities, DECLG (2012) and its supporting Retail Design Manual. The design must ensure that the proposed centre will be integrated with and complementary to the streetscape and area in which it is located. Elements to be addressed include: • The scale, design and enclosure of pedestrian space; • Connectivity with surrounding routes and places. Where possible new connections shall be provided between desirable locations within the surrounding area; • The provision and design of street furniture including public art, telephones, seats, litter bins etc; • The provision, within the overall design of the centre, of public facilities, e.g. toilets, separate childcare areas, (including baby changing / feeding facilities that are designed and located away from toilet facilities), access and facilities for disabled people including toilets and parking spaces. The centres, where appropriate, may include offices and medical centres; • Activities and uses that keep the centre alive both during the day and evening, e.g. cafes, restaurants, public houses and theatres / cinemas (noting that these are generally only sustainable in the higher levels of the county’s Settlement and Retail Hierarchy); • The centre should provide active frontages to surrounding streets and should not be surrounded by car parking. Regard shall be had to the Design Manual for Roads and Streets (2019) on these matters; • Landscaping plans must accompany all applications. Shopping centres should provide recycling facilities and secure bicycle parking, discreetly located to ensure they do not detract from the ambience and environment of the centre and its immediate surrounds; and • Where car parking cannot be designed as part of the public domain, security boundary treatments for afterhours may be considered in appropriate circumstances. • Proposals for shopping centres should include naming and advertising details.572
- 15.13.4 Large Convenience Stores The Retail Planning Guidelines, DECLG, (2012) introduced revised guidance and convenience retail floorspace caps with respect to large food stores. The net convenience floorspace cap applicable to the county is 3,000m². In respect of the comparison component of such stores, the Retail Planning Guidelines 2012 advise that there is no longer a cap on the amount of non-grocery space delineated in applications for new stores or their extension. Given the potential impact of this on existing town centre comparison floorspace, and the move by a number of major convenience companies to franchise space to mainstream national and international High Street comparison operators, the Council will require a Retail Impact Assessment / Retail Impact Statement to be submitted in support of any application for large convenience stores. Comprehensive details of the nature of goods to be sold shall be provided. Applications for large convenience stores to be developed on suitable brownfield sites within town centres will be encouraged, subject to proper planning and design considerations. 15.13.5 Retail Warehousing Applications for retail warehousing shall be limited to bulky goods as described in the Retail Planning Guidelines 2012. As set out in Chapter 8, there will be no exceptions to this, founded on the key objective of sustaining and further enhancing the vitality and viability of all centres in the County Retail hierarchy. The development of further out-of-town retail parks shall also be discouraged to avoid retail parks emerging as out of centre shopping centres. Similarly, the Council will only consider standalone retail units in retail warehouse car parks where they do not detract from the vitality and vibrancy of nearby town centres. 15.13.6 Motor Service Areas (i) Motorway Service Areas The Council supports the development of on-line motorway service facilities in appropriate locations in accordance with the guidance set out in the Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities, DECLG (2012). The Council will consider proposals for off-line service facilities at appropriate locations where online services are not planned and it is demonstrated that the proposal is: • In accordance with national guidance on the provision of motorway service areas; • Required to meet the needs of road users on the National Road Network; • Would not unduly impact on the safety, capacity, or efficiency of the road network; and • Would not impact negatively on the vibrancy or vitality of nearby town or village centres. A proliferation of private off-line service area facilities at national road junctions will not be permitted.573
- (ii) Fuel Filling Stations Fuel filling stations must be located on the outskirts of the town or village but inside the 50km or 60km speed limits. The preferred location is on the near side of the roadway on the way out of town. The essential purpose of fuel filling stations is to provide facilities for the sale of fuels for vehicles. The Council however recognises the more diverse role of fuel filling stations in recent times, and the expansion from merely fuel depots to the provision of a wide range of convenience and other goods and services, including functioning as rest areas. Applications for planning permission for such development should contain the following elements: • Detailed proposals with respect to, inter alia, the following; method of disposal of wastewater from carwash areas, traffic management including details regarding the queuing of vehicles to access EV-charging points, surface water outlet and oil interceptors. The development shall be designed and operated to avoid adverse effects on existing road drainage in the area. • A high standard of overall design, architectural layout, and material content to ensure an attractive development that integrates with and complements or enhances its surroundings. Where proposals include a forecourt canopy, it should be justified given the strategies to reducing carbon fuel sales and integrated into the overall design and sited so that it does not dominate the surrounding buildings. • Air pump and ancillary services shall be provided as part of any proposal. • Advertising material should be kept to a minimum and no lighting shall be installed so as to cause glare or interference to any user of an adjacent public road. • The modification of standard corporate designs may be required by the Council in order to reduce the visual impact of the development in sensitive environments. In such instances, standard fuel filling station canopies can be replaced with more sympathetic canopies designed to the satisfaction of the Council, such as light steel and glass or slated roofs with no attached advertising. • Strident and multiple colouring should be avoided and will be discouraged. The size and colour should be such as to take cognisance of its setting and location in the landscape. • The retail floor space of the shop shall not exceed 100 sq.m net; where permission is sought for a floor space in excess of 100 sq.m net, the sequential approach to retail development shall apply in accordance with the Retail Planning Guidelines, DECLG (2012) i.e. the retail element of the proposal shall be assessed by the planning authority in the same way as would an application for retail development (without fuel filling facilities) in the same location. • The layout of the station forecourt should be arranged to allow dedicated parking for users of the shop. Where an associated shop is proposed, the application shall be considered in accordance with the Retail Planning Guidelines 2012. • The safe movement of walkers and cyclists shall be prioritised over vehicle movements with a layout of segregated routes to protect vulnerable road users at points of entry/egress and within the site with dishings as required.574
- 15.13.7 Fast Food Outlets, Takeaways, Bookmakers, Budget Shops, Vape Shops, Charity Shops, Telephone / Mobile Shops and Amusement / Gaming Arcades In order to maintain the appropriate mix of uses and protect the amenities in a particular area, it is the policy of the Council to prevent the excessive concentration of Fast Food Outlets, Takeaways, Bookmakers, Budget Shops, Vape Shops, Charity Shops, Telephone/ Mobile Shops and Amusement/Gaming Arcades. The provision of any of the above will be assessed having regard to the following: • The number and frequency of such facilities in an area and their cumulative impact in association with the proposed development; • The need to safeguard the vitality and viability of shopping areas in the town centre and to maintain a suitable mix of retail uses; • The proximity of such uses to other vulnerable uses, e.g. residences, schools, open space; • The likely impact on general and residential amenity in terms of noise / disturbance, traffic, parking, litter and fumes; • Proposed façade design, the type and degree of any advertising / signage and lighting, and the visual appearance of vents / extractors; • The design shall be required to respect the character of the street and the buildings, particularly within Architectural Conservation Areas. • The status of the existing unit i.e., is the building in a poor state of disrepair, has it been vacant for a prolonged period and is vacancy a sustained prolific issue in the surrounding area. • Gaming arcades will not generally be considered other than where the proposal is part of a large tourist attraction. Noise insulation measures will be required at the time of the submission of the planning application and ongoing noise monitoring may be required. Adequate provision for refuse disposal, storage and collection must be indicated in both new and existing buildings. Fast food / Takeaway facilities should include proposals for on-street bins (with appropriate design for boxes / packaging) and a plan for their maintenance. Proposed opening hours must be specified which will be controlled by the Planning Authority. 15.13.8 Hours of Operation and Control of Sales Hatches The hours of operation of shops and the use of wall / window / door hatches for shop sales shall be controlled, having regard to the following: • The effects of noise, general disturbance, hours of operation, litter and fumes on the amenities of nearby residents; • The need to safeguard the vitality and viability of shopping areas in town centres and to maintain a suitable mix of retail uses; • Traffic considerations and pedestrian and public safety; and • The number and frequency of similar facilities in the area. Sales hatches may be acceptable where shopfronts are removed from the public footpath and a specific need is demonstrated (e.g., late opening fuel filling stations).575
- 15.14 Shopfronts 15.14.1 Design • Shopfronts are one of the most important elements in determining the character, quality, and image of retail streets in County Kildare. • The design of shopfronts should reflect the scale and proportions of the existing streetscape. • In order to increase the attractiveness of the streetscape, the Council promotes a dual approach to shopfront design o Protecting traditional and original shopfronts. o Encouraging good contemporary shopfront design. • The Council promotes and encourages the use of Irish Language signage in the County, including on shop fronts. 15.14.2 Planning Permission • Applications for new shopfronts or modifications to existing shopfronts will be assessed having regard to this Plan, Kildare County Council’s Shopfront Guidelines (2013) and any specific requirements contained in a Local Area Plan or Architectural Conservation Area Statement. • The following requirements will apply to all planning applications related to new shopfronts or modifications to existing shopfronts: o Detailed plans at a scale of 1:50. Such plans should include details regarding the design, colour, and detailing with regards to signage (including window adhesive signage), advertising and lighting. o Colour schemes should co-ordinate with adjoining buildings and shopfronts and should be chosen to enhance the proportions and detailing of the whole building. The use of garish colour should be avoided. All signage must be compatible with the existing streetscape. Timber, stone, glass, and steel are preferred materials. o Contemporary shopfronts will be encouraged provided they are designed to traditional principles of scale, proportion, and detailing. o The appearance and proportions of the original shopfront should be retained. o Changes in internal ceiling heights, where required, should not interfere with the proportions and depths of fascias. o The twin elements of a fascia board (to carry names and advertising) and pilasters (to frame and delineate the shopfront boundary) shall be provided in all cases. o The design must be approached in an integrated way (relate to the whole facade), including advertising, lighting, and other features. o Vertical emphasis and proportions should be kept, and plot divisions should be expressed externally (even if the shop crosses them internally). o The removal of service wires associated with existing facades will be actively promoted in County Kildare. • The Council will discourage the following: o The removal of features or alterations to existing shopfronts where they are considered by the Council to be of historical or architectural interest, or of576
- townscape value; o The enlargement or remodelling to a horizontal emphasis of existing windows above ground floor level; o The construction of fascias linking two or more buildings / plots which have different architectural identities; o The use of large areas of undivided glass or the provision of new display windows with a horizontal emphasis; o The permanent removal of the shopfront and the creation of an opening through which direct trading onto the pavement is carried out; o The use of standardised brand names, logos, corporate designs as part of shopfront fascia advertising, where it conflicts with the existing streetscape; and o The use of external roller shutters and their boxes and projecting brand signs on the exterior of shop-fronts. • It is acknowledged that retail and other multiples, e.g., turf accountants, banks and building societies tend to have their own corporate identity and standardised signage. In sensitive locations, standard shopfronts can weaken the special local identity of an area. This will not be permitted. Compromise proposals which maintain corporate image without eroding local character will be considered. 15.14.3 Advertising on Shopfronts • In respect of shops and other business premises, advertising should be designed as an integral part of the shopfront and in most cases will be required to be located within the fascia. Signs will not be allowed to dominate the facade or interfere with windows or other features or detailing on the building. • The Council will encourage the following types of advertising: o The use of traditional painted sign-writing on fascia boards, using appropriate colour schemes; o The use of solid block individual lettering affixed directly to fascia boards or facades; o The use of spotlighting or floodlighting of fascia boards, shopfronts or entire facades (provided that the light fixtures are of modest form and size and that such lighting will not cause a traffic hazard); o The painting of stall risers and other features to enhance the design of the shopfront, using appropriate colour schemes; and o The provision of traditional timber or wrought iron hanging signs, with painted or enamelled finishes. Such signs shall be of a limited size and projection and shall be limited to a maximum of one sign for each building facade. • Commercial interests will not necessarily be allowed to use standardised shopfront design, ‘corporate colours’ or materials. Compatibility with individual buildings and with the streetscape is considered by the Council to be more important than uniformity between the branches of one company. While each case will be considered on its merits, the following types of advertising will not be permitted by the Council, and will be actively discouraged:577
- o The use of plastic, PVC, Perspex, and neon signs or lettering or detailing on any exterior. o Internally illuminated box fascia signs. o Internally illuminated projecting signs, whether fixed or hanging. o Digital (including digital signage boards), flashing, reflectorised, neon or glitter-type signs or detailing at any location on the exterior of the building, or so located within the interior as to be intended to be viewed from the exterior. o The erection of any signs or other devices which project above the level of the eaves or parapet, or obtrude on the skyline, or outside the general bulk of the building. o The provision of multiple signs, whether small or large, that would cause visual clutter on buildings or within the streetscape of a village or settlement; o The use of inappropriate brand or corporate advertising. • Each case will be examined on its merits. 15.14.4 Canopies • Planning permission will be required for the erection of canopies/awnings. • The use of canopies will be considered where shading of a window display is required and not for the primary purpose of increasing advertisement space. • The erection of canopies in an Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) will be discouraged. • The erection of canopies should not disrupt views along the street or obscure the shopfront detail or neighbouring shopfront detail and advertising. • Canopies should always be retractable and should ideally be made of canvas or similar materials. Plastic or fabric canopies and ‘Dutch’ type canopies will not be permitted. • Canopy colours should be subdued as bright colours could undermine the quality of the street scene. 15.14.5 Roller Shutters • It is the policy of the Council to discourage the use of roller shutters and to ensure the removal of unauthorised ones. The erection of a roller shutter and its associated housing requires planning permission. • Where security shutters are considered to be essential, e.g. because of the type of business transacted or goods stored, and where the location so indicates, the Council may permit them provided that they meet the following criteria: o They have regard to the ‘Key Design Recommendation’ in Section 3.4.5 of the County Kildare Shopfront Guidelines, 2013. o They must be of the open-grille type or timber panelled shutters painted to match the shop-front colour scheme. This will be favourably considered in place of roller shutters in order to enhance the streetscape. o Internal roller shutters located behind display window. o In exceptional circumstances painted steel security shutters may be acceptable on certain business premises for security reasons. • Each case will be examined on its merits.578
- 15.15 Advertising and Signage • The siting of signage and advertising structures on, under, over or along a public road is subject to a sign licence in accordance with Section 254 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). • Proposals for signage on or at national roads will be assessed against Chapter 3 of the Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities (DoECLG, 2012) and TII Policy on the Provision of Tourist & Leisure Signage on National Roads (March 2011). • Planning permission is required where the sign is on a private road/ structure/ land. • The Kildare County Council’s Shopfront Guidelines (2013) sets out the Council’s approach to effectively manage signage (refer to Section 15.14.3 also). All applications for signage shall be considered having regard to this policy document in terms of: o Demonstrable need; o Intended duration of signage; o Scale of signage; o Type of advertising, if applicable; o Proximity to other signage in terms of proliferation and visual clutter; o Pedestrian / cyclist movement; o Impact on visual amenity; o Impact on traffic safety; o Impact on built heritage and streetscape • The Council will carefully and sensitively manage the proliferation of advertising structures, visual clutter and brand advertising in particular in historic town and villages centres and approaches to all towns and villages in County Kildare in order to ensure the public realm is enhanced and protected. • Public Health Act curtailments regarding the advertisement of alcohol products in respect of proximity to schools shall be strictly adhered to. Type of Sign Restriction on use Design Criteria Fingerpost Sign Not permitted along national routes or interchanges. Directional signs for major tourist attractions and community purposes will be considered but product advertising will not be permitted. Generally, only one sign per establishment will be permitted. Only the primary route to the facility shall be signed. The sign should be located within 2km of the facility or at a relevant579
- Type of Sign Restriction on use Design Criteria junction. Backlit Signs Generally appropriate. Lettering should generally not exceed 400mm in height. Billboard May be permitted in limited circumstances for a specified time period, where it can be demonstrated that the development will enhance the area e.g. by screening an unsightly site or derelict structure. Use of gable/side of buildings for the exhibition of advertising structures. Not Permitted. Digital Boards/Signs Generally not appropriate. Not permitted in an ACA or on or close to a Protected Structure. Not permitted on major roads unless signage relates to the signage strategy or traffic management and safety. Applications should set out the details for the material, finishes and colours of the signage structure, maximum luminance of the advertisement display between dusk and dawn. Only static images without movement shall be permitted, No more than one advertisement shall be displayed every ten seconds and fade transition shall be applied. Bus Shelter Generally appropriate Purpose of illumination should be to light the shelter. Fascias and Box Signs Generally appropriate Should not be internally illuminated. Lettering should not exceed more than 400mm in height. Projecting Sign Generally not appropriate. Should not be internally illuminated. Public Information Panels Generally appropriate. Should not obstruct footpath/cycle paths. Advertising permitted on580
- Type of Sign Restriction on use Design Criteria public information panels will be restricted and should constitute not more than 50% of the total area. Neon Signs Generally not appropriate. Should not be displayed in village centres, in ACAs or on or near a Protected Structure. Signs above Parapet Not Permitted. Moving Vane Signs Not Permitted. Free Standing Advertising Displays Not permitted on or over footpaths. Totem Not generally permitted where nameplate signage on a façade of a building is sufficient in scale and design and clearly visible from a public road. In general, due to the size of this type of signage it is not acceptable within an ACA or within the curtilage of a Protected Structure. Limit of 1 no. Totem Sign per specific site. Must be high quality material/finish. Position of sign should not interfere with vehicular and pedestrian sightlines. Trailer / Mobile Trailer Signs / Parked Mobile Advertising Not Permitted Window Signs Generally appropriate Should not occupy more than 25% of the window. Signs in windows should not be internally illuminated. Structures on Public Footpaths and Public Areas Not Permitted Sundry Advertising Devices Not Permitted Includes pavement signs or sandwich boards, spotlights, flags, bunting, banners, neon moving message signs, fly posting and barrage/ balloons. Table 15.10 - Advertising Signage581
Source Kildare County Council: Kildare County Development Plan 2023–2029 — Chapter 15: Development Management Standards (2023–2029) · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.