Planning refused for Killarney apartments amid fears of impact on bats

The application failed because of concern about how artificial lighting might disturb Lesser Horseshoe Bats on their way to and from its roost in the nearby demesne area of the Killarney National Park

An Bord Pleanála said the proposed development would result in increased artificial lighting generated at both the construction and operational phases of the development which would impact "Lesser Horseshoe Bats that commute along routes to the west of the Port Road/Deenagh River". File picture

A planning application for a three-storey apartment block in Killarney has been turned down because of concern for the commute of the Lesser Horseshoe Bat.

It is the second residential application in the Port Road, just over a kilometre from the town centre, which has failed because of concern about how artificial lighting might disturb the bat on its way to and from its roost in the nearby demesne area of the Killarney National Park.