Solas Obseravtory , Athdown , Blessington
Data updated 13 Sept 2026 · register lag up to 7 days · sources & freshness
2360197 is a planning application for permission at Solas Obseravtory , Athdown , Blessington, received by Wicklow County Council on 3 Aug 2023 and first seen by Planning Register on 11 Sept 2026. The application describes: Changing the use of the utility building to a single rural dwelling.This involves changing the use of the PC/computer room and the Office into two bedrooms. The Utility room that already has kitchen facilities would become the kitchen and living room. No other changes are needed or works needed.The Office and Computer / PC room were needed before the connection of the observatory to the national broadband fibre network. Now their functions can be carried out remotely. Albeit it needs somebody on-site to physically turn on the telescope and to turn the dome in the observatory. It is hoped that these will become automated in time.The change of use is required because there is an existential risk to the development. There have been multiple security incidents, breaks-ins and trespass on-site, all were reported to the Gardai. They recommended security cameras be installed, but these were subsequently vandalised.It is considered that the site is now known to problematic individuals and that the only solution to the current perils is to have somebody living on site. A change of use might be considered urgent.The development is uninsured due to the unreasonable cost of insurance. If there was somebody living on site, insurance would be available at a reasonable cost. The change of use is also to broaden the usage of the observatory. Having somebody on-site would greatly increase the use of the observatory and it would facilitate broadening its usage to education and community outreach. In particular, the plan would be to have astronomy nights for parents and children in the local school, eventually expanding to other schools in Wicklow and further afield. Further details are given on Form B in the attachments. No decision has been recorded yet. The five-week observation window closed on 7 Sept 2023. Within 500 m there are 2 other decided applications in the last five years.
Proposal
Changing the use of the utility building to a single rural dwelling.This involves changing the use of the PC/computer room and the Office into two bedrooms. The Utility room that already has kitchen facilities would become the kitchen and living room. No other changes are needed or works needed.The Office and Computer / PC room were needed before the connection of the observatory to the national broadband fibre network. Now their functions can be carried out remotely. Albeit it needs somebody on-site to physically turn on the telescope and to turn the dome in the observatory. It is hoped that these will become automated in time.The change of use is required because there is an existential risk to the development. There have been multiple security incidents, breaks-ins and trespass on-site, all were reported to the Gardai. They recommended security cameras be installed, but these were subsequently vandalised.It is considered that the site is now known to problematic individuals and that the only solution to the current perils is to have somebody living on site. A change of use might be considered urgent.The development is uninsured due to the unreasonable cost of insurance. If there was somebody living on site, insurance would be available at a reasonable cost. The change of use is also to broaden the usage of the observatory. Having somebody on-site would greatly increase the use of the observatory and it would facilitate broadening its usage to education and community outreach. In particular, the plan would be to have astronomy nights for parents and children in the local school, eventually expanding to other schools in Wicklow and further afield. Further details are given on Form B in the attachments
- Status
- INCOMPLETED APPLICATION
- Decision
- N/a
- Site (from polygon)
- 1.03 ha
- Location precision
- site (coords_polygon)
Timeline
- 3 Aug 2023Decision
- 3 Aug 2023New applicationObservation window closed 7 Sept 2023
Full planning report for 53.16780, -6.40412
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1 Where this is — preview
1 Deadlines still open
Appeal
Not appealed.
Commencement
No commencement notice matched to this reference.
Zoning at the site
No zoning objective covers this site in the current plan.
Designations within 250 m
No OPW flood extent nearby.
- Radon risk area · 3
- Recorded monument · 1
Provenance
Register row from the national planning applications feed (NPAD), fetched 11 Sept 2026, 18:51 (store id 161332). Deadlines were computed by the store from the received / decided dates under the Planning and Development Act 2000 and are recorded as events, not recomputed here. Council register: http://www.eplanning.ie/WicklowCC/AppFileRefDetails/2360197/0.
Source: npad · fetched 11 Sept 2026, 18:51
| Source | Licence | Fetched | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| npad | CC-BY-4.0 | 11 Sept 2026, 18:51 | open |