Application is second denied in a month over similar issue
A secondary school in north Kerry has been denied planning permission for a new astroturf after not providing sufficient information on their application.
St Josephs Secondary School in Ballybunion was refused permission due a lack of information on surface water drainage, Kerry County Council (KCC) said.
The school planned to construct a synthetic playing surface, around 32m by 22m, as a multi-use games area.
The building works were planned to be near the Nun’s Beach cliffs and almost adjacent to the Lower River Shannon Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
A letter from the housing department pointed out that the pitch would 40m from important features of the SAC, the ‘Vegetated Sea Cliffs of the Atlantic and Baltic Coasts’.
They also highlighted that the school itself was directly adjacent to this habitat and that there was already visible damage to the area.
“There is a significant amount of erosion in the cliffs adjacent to the school that is resulting in localised damage to the QI habitat,” they noted.
A submission from a local resident expressed concerns about stormwater pipes discharging from school into SAC and said they were most likely the cause of some erosion.
While not outright objecting, they asked that the council ensure development takes place in a way that respects both the national environment and the wider community.
KCC decided to refuse the application on one ground, stating that they were not satisfied that sufficient information has been provided to demonstrate that surface water drainage could be adequately managed on the site.
It comes after the school was refused permission for the retention of a classroom block, renovated classroom and associated works on August 13.
Kerry County Council granted permission in November 2025 but the application was appealed by a local resident who expressed concerns over the council’s ‘notional screening exercise’.
The planning regulator, An Coimisiún Pleanála, found that the applicant had not demonstrated that run-off was being safely drained away and that any future application should establish the source of the discharge, and provide details of how surface water will be properly collected, managed and discharged.
A number of videos, including footage of water spilling over the edge of the roof during a period of rain, were sent to An Coimisiún Pleanála, raising concerns.
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