Planning refused for Collinstown housing development

Planning permission has been refused for 25 new residential units in Collinstown.

The unsuccessful application by NJ Doyne Construction (Ireland) Ltd, includes details for the construction of 23 houses and two apartments, as well as two commercial units, at a site on the Mullingar road.

The application was the subject of a number of submissions objecting to it going ahead. Objectors cited a number of concerns, including the “scale and impact” of the proposed development, which one person said “does not align with the existing ambiance and appears disproportionate to the size of our village”.

Other concerns raised were the strain that a new housing development of this scale would put on existing services, such as the water supply and the sewage system.

Westmeath County Council's planners said that the proposed development was “premature...given current overloading of the existing Collinstown waste water treatment plant and the likely timeframe for upgrading circa 2030”.