Planning resought to convert East Donegal bar into childcare facility
Donegal County Council receives planning application to convert the former River Club to a childcare facility near Castlefin
Planning permission has been resought for the change of use of an existing licenced premises to use as a childcare facility providing full day care services in East Donegal.
Tommy O’Neill has submitted the Cloughfin, Castlefin-based proposal to Donegal County Council, which includes the closure of existing access points and entrances on to the N15, and the reconfiguration of the existing front car park, the provision of a new car park with access and exit points to the rear of the site, and associated site development works.
The existing licenced premises in question was The River Club, located on the N15 road, opposite the turn-off to Clady in Tyrone.
In November 2025, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) successfully appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála against Donegal County Council’s planning permission granted in July 2024, for the proposed large childcare facility, with a maximum childcare capacity of 102 children and 15-20 staff members.
TII’s argument was summarised by an An Coimisíun Pleanála report as the “character of the road and also its reliance on intensification of a direct access to a national road at a location where a 100kph speed limit applies, is at variance with the provisions of official policy and has potential to compromise the safety and efficiency of the national road network.”
Regarding local planning policy, it was stated: “The provision of childcare accessing the N15 by means of an existing access to the national road, at the location concerned, will inevitably bring about additional vehicular movements associated with the use of a private childcare facility at very specific time periods, which will result in intensification of access onto and off the N15,” and that “given its nature and concentrated journeys at specific times to the high-speed national road location, the proposal would be contrary to the provisions of official policy.”
A cover letter written by John Magee of McCullagh Architecture & Surveying, on behalf of the client in the current application stated: “A previous planning application for development on this site was submitted and approved by Donegal County Council under planning, however the favourable decision was subsequently appealed by the TII and refused by An Coimisiún Pleanála.
“The reason for refusal was based on the established access leading onto the N15 national primary road where a speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour applies.
“A pre-planning consultation was carried out under reference number PP26002 where the applicant was willing to access the site from the local roadway L-2264-1 and included a proposal to close the existing direct entry and exit points which are established onto the N15.
“Following on from this pre-planning, a Road Safety Audit Report was carried out by CST Group Chartered Consulting Engineers, where measures had been recommended to the proposed new access point leading onto the local road.
“These measures have been incorporated into the attached site layout, and as you will note from the feedback form with the road safety audit, the recommended measures proposed have been deemed acceptable.”
A support letter from the Donegal County Childcare Committee (DCCC) was included in the application, which stated: “DCCC welcomes the opening of new Early Learning/ Preschool and School Aged Childcare services throughout County Donegal and has no objections to this planning application.”
Donegal County Council has set a decision due date for the submitted planning application for January 7, 2027.