Charlie Chawke faces opposition to funeral home proposal for Goat Bar site

Publican Charlie Chawke is facing opposition in his plan for a funeral home business close to his Goat Bar and Grill in Goatstown, south Dublin.

Last month, Mr Chawke lodged plans with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to change the use of the ground floor of a Paddy Power betting outlet to a funeral home.

However, the planning application is being opposed by Fanagans Funeral Directors, which operates in the nearby suburb of Dudrum.

The site for the proposed funeral home is part of the overall Goat and Paddy Power retail complex at the junction of Lower Kilmacud Road and Taney Road in Dublin 14.

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A planning report lodged with the application said that Mr Chawke “believes that a good-quality well-run funeral home will complement The Goat/Paddy Power Retail Complex and he believes that there is a need locally for such a use”.

The report also said that Mr Chawke “believes that the approval of the permission being sought will greatly improve the overall complex mix and streetscape and be a welcome addition to the area”.

[ Charlie Chawke refused planning retention for outdoor cafe at The Goat ]

However, in an objection on behalf of Fanagans Funeral Directors, Manahan Planners contended that “this application is ill-conceived”.

The objection said that “there is no local need for an additional funeral home to cater to this suburb of the city”.

It added: “Moreover, a location such as proposed would add surges of traffic to the adjoining road network at this busy traffic-light-controlled junction.”

The objection pointed out that Fanagans “operate a funeral home in Dundrum a little more than one kilometre away from this site”.

Mr Manahan said the central contention in the application, that there is a need for the facility locally, “is flawed and is not supported by empirical evidence”.

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Asked to comment on the application on Tuesday, Mr Chawke said that it would be inappropriate to say anything at this time as planning was still pending.

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