NAAS, 5 July 2001: by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan. A planning application for a £35 million hotel, leisure, residential and office development at Rathasker Road has been lodged with Naas UDC. The developers are Kildare Estates, led by Clane developer John O’Connell.
The 8-acre site is to the rear of the Devoy Barracks area, which itself is to be developed by Naas UDC for affordable housing and part of which will become the headquarters location for both the UDC and Kildare County Council.
The 89-bedroom hotel is targeted at being the equivalent of a four-star in quality, but at three-star prices, providing a service and ambience aimed at both the family and business markets. Underground car parking will serve guests and visitors to the hotel and leisure complex.
There are 66 Duplex 2- and 3-bedroom homes in the proposal, each with their own front door and arranged around a courtyard setting. Some 3,000 sq metres of office space is aimed the ‘normal’ office tenant. “There are enough specialist developments around which will deal with the high-tech sector,” says Sean Condon, project manager. “There’s a need for this level of offices, and right close to the town centre.”
The whole development will be landscaped with water features and trees, incorporating the existing stream on the land, with large areas of public open spaces being integral to the design. Access to the complex will be by part of a link road coming from alongside Swan Dowling’s pub to the new orbital road planned between Kilashee and the Newbridge Road.
Around 250 people will be employed in the construction phase, while the employment in the completed complex is estimated to be around 200. The mix of leisure, commercial and residential elements will provide a new section to Naas which will be ‘alive’ around the clock, as well as opening up a new walking area for residents of the area.
Sean Condon expects that the project could be completed within 20 months from the granting of planning permission. Although trained in architectural skills, much of his working life has included the development and management of similar projects in New Zealand.
©2001brianbyrnetrishwhelan/knn