Planning granted for funeral home in North Cork town

Planning permission has been granted to change the use of a coal store in Fermoy into a funeral home.

J Hannon & Sons Funeral Directors had already received planning permission from Cork County Council for the development, located at the Blackwater Shopping Centre on the Dublin Road.

The detached former coal shed is a protected structure and dates to around 1860. Their proposal was to change its use to a funeral home without any significant alterations to the building’s external appearance. Car parking is proposed to be shared with the adjoining car parking serving the shopping centre.

However, the council’s decision was appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála by third parties, with concerns raised around parking, traffic and safety. 

A planning inspector for the appeals board found that funeral home use at the site was acceptable and it would bring a vacant protected structure back into productive use and that traffic and parking impacts would be acceptable.

Cork County Council originally imposed a condition that the premises could not open until after 6.30pm to avoid peak traffic, but the inspector considered this unjustified because the traffic evidence showed minimal impact and because funeral removals commonly commence before 6.30pm.

“The proposed funeral home will activate the vacant structure which forms part of the wider Blackwater Shopping Centre,” the inspector said.

“The junction continues to operate efficiently and remains well below its capacity,” they added.

The inspector’s recommendation that planning permission be granted was approved by the appeals board. They imposed eight planning conditions but no restrictions on the operating times.