Observation pack · Louth County Council

Bellingham Castle , Castlebellingham , Co. Louth

Permission for the demolition of existing 1960’s ballroom extension to rear of existing building and construct a new 2 Storey extension with Civil Ceremony hall, toilets and ancillary spaces at lower ground floor level and 7 No. of Bedroom Suites at upper ground floor level, storage areas, external landscaping, rearrangement of carpark and compound to side of building, together with all ancillary and associated site development works at Bellingham Castle a Protected Structure ID No. LHS015-005. A Natura Impact Statement has been included as part of this application

Observations close 9 Nov 2026 16 days left

5 weeks from receipt (received 5 Oct 2026) · s.34 Planning and Development Act 2000 · art. 29 Regulations 2001 · fee €20 · council decision due 29 Nov 2026

The application

Reference: 2660683 · full record
Authority: Louth County Council
Type: PERMISSION
Status: NEW APPLICATION
Applicant: not published by the national dataset — see the council register
Units: 0
Floor area: —
Site area: 6.26 ha
Received: 5 Oct 2026
We first saw it: 21 Oct 2026, 02:10
Decision due: 29 Nov 2026
Decision: N/a

The national dataset truncates descriptions (80 characters for DLR, 70 for Fingal) and omits the applicant. The full description and the drawings are on the council register linked in step 1.

How to submit an observation

Read the file on the council register.Drawings, planning statement and site notices are at http://www.eplanning.ie/LouthCC/AppFileRefDetails/2660683/0.
Write your observation.Quote 2660683 at the top, give your name and the address the authority should reply to, and confine it to planning matters — zoning objective, height, overlooking, traffic, drainage, heritage. What you say here is what you can later appeal on.
Pay the €20 fee.Every submission needs it; without it the observation is invalid and is returned. Louth County Council takes it online with the submission or at the counter.
Submit before 9 Nov 2026.Online through the register above, or in writing to the Planning Department, Louth County Council. The test is the date the authority receives it, not the date you post it.
Keep the acknowledgement.The council's receipt is your proof of a valid observation — see below.

Statutory basis. Section 34(1) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) requires a planning authority to consider any submission or observation made to it in accordance with the Regulations. Article 29 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (as amended) sets the window: a submission or observation must be received by the authority within five weeks beginning on the date of receipt of the application, and must be accompanied by the prescribed fee of €20. A submission received after the window, or without the fee, is invalid and the authority must return it.

After you submit: keep the acknowledgement. Under the 2024 Act it secures your right to appeal — only the applicant and a person who made a valid observation may bring the council's decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála, within four weeks of the decision. Making a valid observation is also what buys a right of appeal: under s.37(1) of the 2000 Act, only the applicant and a person who made a valid submission or observation to the planning authority may appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála (within four weeks of the decision). Missing the five-week window closes both doors.

What the site is zoned

Code	Objective	Plan	In force
C1.1 Retail warehousing	Town or Village Centre: To support the development, improvement and expansion of town or village centre activities.	louth county development plan	11 Nov 2021 → 1 Jan 2027
C5 Commercial, enterprise and employment	Tourism and Leisure: To provide for and enhance tourism and leisure facilities.	louth county development plan	11 Nov 2021 → 1 Jan 2027
G1 Open space with recreation	Open Space: To preserve, provide and improve recreational amenity and open space.	louth county development plan	11 Nov 2021 → 1 Jan 2027
R2 Existing residential	Existing Residential: To protect and enhance the amenity and character of existing residential communities.	louth county development plan	11 Nov 2021 → 1 Jan 2027

An application that accords with the zoning objective is hard to resist on principle; one that does not may be a material contravention, which the council can only grant by the s.34(6) procedure with its own notice and window.

Source: Louth County Council development plan zoning · fetched 27 Sept 2026, 19:37

Source	Licence	Fetched	Link
Louth County Council development plan zoning	—	27 Sept 2026, 19:37	open

Designations on or near the site

NIAH-recorded building × 14
bridge · Castle Bellingham · Castle Bellingham
Recorded monument × 7
Church · Graveyard · Castle - unclassified

Nearby precedents within 500 m, last 5 years

Decisions

Reference	Decision	Decided	Units	Distance	Description
2660581	Conditional	16 Oct 2026	0	174 m	Permission for the construction of a new 825m² light industrial warehouse and all associated site development works
2586	Conditional	27 Feb 2026	5	240 m	Permission to demolish an existing derelict office and residential building and construct 5 no. Residential units that are in a single terraced block. The development will consist of 2 no. 3B/D 2-storey dwellings, 2no. 3B/D 3-storey dwellings, and 1 no. 2 B/D 2-storey dwelling. The application also provides for site development works, including on-street parallel parking, boundary walls, pedestrian access, underground services, and facilities required for the proposed development, which fronts onto the R166 within the village of Castlebellingham. Significant Further Information Received on 05/02/2026
2560384	Conditional	13 Feb 2026	1	55 m	Demolish existing single storey bathroom extension and rear boiler room. Carry out internal works including new slab, new openings and dry lining to external walls. Create new window at first floor to rear south elevation. Replace existing windows throughout the structure. Repair all areas of brickwork and stonework. Construct two new single storey extensions to comprise a new sun room to the south west corner of existing structure and a new utility room to the north west. Add new first floor bathroom. Protected Structure LHS 015/012. Significant Further Information Received on 28/01/2026
2560587	Conditional	28 Jan 2026	1	134 m	Permission for alterations to the development as granted under ref. 2360443 in relation to adjustment to site boundaries and elevational changes to the rear of the development
25168	Conditional	9 Jan 2026	0	0 m	Permission for FURTHER EXTENSION OF DURATION: Extension of Duration of Planning Permission 24/155 which consists of Permission for extensions and modifications to existing 4 dwelling houses to provide 2 dwelling houses. Protected structure LHS-015-010 and LHS-015-011/ NIAH 13826012. Works to include all ancillary and associated site works. This site is located within the Castlebellingham Architectural Conservation Area. PARENT PERMISSION REF: 18/753
2560722	Conditional	9 Jan 2026	0	174 m	Retention and Permission: Retention permission for the change-of-use of general warehouse (Unit 1- 2633m²) to light industrial use, the retention of the change-of-use of feed mill, stores and office (Unit 2 - 1687m²) to light industrial use and permission for change-of-use of existing storage warehouse (Unit 3 - 572m²) to light industrial use
2560694	Conditional	12 Dec 2025	0	174 m	Permission for proposed change-of-use of an existing 510m² storage warehouse to light industrial use
2460637	Conditional	3 Nov 2025	99	278 m	Permission for a residential development consisting of 99 no. dwellings in a mix of 93 no. houses (8 no. 2-bed, 49no. 3-bed, 36 no. 4-bed) one and two storey in height and 6 no. apartments (4 no. 1-bed, 2 no. 2-bed) and a childcare facility. The apartments are located over two floors within a three storey building with a childcare facility at ground floor level. 7 no. of the proposed houses will front directly onto Dromena Road with each of these 7 no houses having an individual vehicular access directly onto Dromena Road. The main vehicular entrance to the development will be from the R132 Dundalk Road with a secondary vehicular entrance from Dromena Road. The secondary vehicular access off Dromena Road is at the southern end of the site and will serve the crèche, the 6 no apartments and the 3 no bungalows. There will be no vehicular route through the site from the R132 to Dromena Road. The development will provide for a new footpath along part of Dromena Road, pedestrian/cycle access points and a new crossing point on the R132 Dundalk Road. Site development works to facilitate the proposed development include the demolition of existing agricultural sheds and undergrounding of overhead lines. The development provides for all associated development works including adjustments to ground levels, car parking, landscaping, public lighting and boundary treatments Significant Further Information Received on 11/09/2025 provides for, inter alia, revised site plans and submission of an NIS

Appeals

ACP case	Type	Outcome	Decided	Distance
500209	—	Granted	9 Mar 2026	0 m
321162	—	Granted with conditions	14 Feb 2025	121 m

If neighbours here have appealed before and lost, the inspector's report on that case is the single most useful thing to read.

What has happened on this file

5 Oct 2026 New application · observations close 9 Nov 2026
5 Oct 2026 Decision

Generated from the Planning Register store; nothing was fetched live for this page. Source: national planning dataset, fetched 21 Oct 2026, 02:10. Not legal advice — confirm the deadline with Louth County Council before relying on it.