19th-century Raphoe building to become new cafe, beauty salon, and apartments

A disused shop at the historic heart of Raphoe’s Diamond is to receive a makeover after Donegal County Council granted planning permission for a new cafe and beauty salon-type business, along with residential apartments. 

R. McCrabbe Transport Ltd was the listed applicant for the building’s planning permission application, which is situated opposite St Eunan’s Cathedral in Raphoe.

John Moffat & Son used to house their business at the Raphoe premises, with the building having been sold in recent years.

The successful application has allowed for the change of use from a shop or retail area, to a café for part of the floor area, and for the repurposing of the remaining ground floor area to have a change of use from rear warehouse storage, to hairdressing/beautician/tanning beds facility, and other ancillary uses with internal and external alterations, including a new shopfront and signage. 

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There was also a change of usage from office space to allow for residential apartments, including one three-bed apartment, and three two-bed apartments on the first and second floors of the building. 

A new communal bin area is proposed to be constructed, along with the renovation of an existing shed store to provide for storage space and bicycle storage for the proposed apartments. 

Donegal County Council granted planning permission for the proposals with 14 conditions, designed to cater for orderly development in the area, to protect the archaeological heritage of the area, to avoid flooding, and to ensure satisfactory completion of the development.

A condition was also put in place that the apartments not be used for short-term holiday accommodation. The disused building was built in the late 19th century.