There are plans for the former Alms House in Tralee town centre to be converted into a restaurant.
Spitjack Ltd, which owns and operates two existing restaurants in Cork and Limerick, has applied to Kerry County Council for permission to convert the vacant unit into a restaurant.
The building, on Market Place in the town centre, is a protected structure of interest, and is within an Architectural Conservation Area.
The planning application from Spitjack Ltd seeks permission to convert the two mixed use units into a single occupancy restaurant.
This will include a new kitchen on the ground floor, as well as a new shop front, and new doors, windows, awning and signage.
The applicants also propose to renovate the existing courtyard at the back of the building, remove an existing flat roof and construct a new roof with a rooflight.
The building in question faces on to the car park at Market Place, and is a former Alms House.
It’s adjacent to an old mill, another protected structure.
The Tralee Town Development Plan includes plans for a regeneration of this area, including pedestrianizing the lanes around it and creating a plaza.
The applicants say the proposed development will result in a high-quality visual improvement at this site and add vitality to the immediate vicinity.
They say there will be no impact on general or residential amenity, and no unacceptable noise or odour generation.
They say the conversion of the building is supported by the zoning and planning policy of the Town and County Development Plan, and would offer the square a new lease of life.
The council is due to make a decision on the application by November 14th.
