Planning dispute over temporary marquee at Waterford hotel comes to an end

An Bord Pleanála has formally refused permission for the retention of a temporary marquee at a hotel in County Waterford even though it has already been removed.

Earlier this year, The Haven Hotel in Dunmore East lodged an appeal against the local authority's decision to refuse its application to retain the temporary structure which has been used for hundreds of weddings and other events in recent years.

The large marquee was erected on the grounds of the hotel in 2018 and, up until recently, it was used as the hotel’s primary function room - catering for weddings, communions, functions and music events.

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Permission to retain the marquee for a further six months, was refused in June and in its appeal against that decision, the hotel stated that the planned construction of a new function room had been delayed.

It claimed, in its appeal, that around 40 weddings had been booked for the summer months and that the marquee would be removed by "mid-September".

In her report for An Bord Pleanála, planning inspector Jennifer McQuaid stated that when she visited the hotel in early September, the marquee was still erected and in use.

She noted there were a number of submissions from local residents about the use of the marquee and, in particular, the noise emanating from it.

The local authority, she added, had also received a large number of complaints in relation to noise which was described as "a continuous issue".

"Given the nature of the temporary marquee and the location of the marquee on RS (residential) zoned lands, it is in my opinion that the marquee has the potential to have a negative impact on the residential amenity of the surrounding dwellings in terms of noise," she stated in her recommendation to refuse the application.

While the decision of An Bord Pleanála has only just been published, it's understood the marquee was removed prior to the decision being finalised.

Work to build the new permanent function room at The Haven Hotel has begun and it's hoped it will be completed and open for business in spring 2025.