ABP gives go-ahead for Ardmore Road housing development

An Bord Pleanála has overturned Westmeath County Council's decision to refuse planning permission for a major new housing development on the Ardmore Road.

In May last year, the council refused to give the go-ahead to Shaston Construction's plan to build 71 residential units, consisting of 30 apartments and 41 houses, on a 1.9-hectare site adjacent to the Royal Canal estate.

Council planners stated that the design of the proposed development was "inappropriate... with a poor residential and open space layout" and that, if permitted, it "would fail to integrate successfully into the surrounding area".

The council also said that "in the absence of satisfactory documentation which demonstrates that the proposal... would not impact negatively on local biodiversity, it is considered that to permit this development would be premature".

However, following an appeal by Shaston Construction, a subsidiary of local firm Bennett Construction, ABP has overturned the council's decision and granted permission for the project, subject to 23 conditions.

Referring to local and national planning guidelines, the board stated that "the proposed development would accord with relevant policies and objectives" and "would not seriously injure the residential or visual amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity, would not result in a traffic hazard, would not have significant negative effects on the environment, and would constitute an acceptable form of development at this location".

In the planning statement submitted with the application on behalf of Shaston, The Planning Partnership described the proposed development as the "first phase of a wider Masterplan", while in the Masterplan Strategy Report also submitted with the original application, van Dijk Architects stated that "the project could ultimately support circa 405 new residential units...".

The original application to the council attracted over 20 objections from people living in the vicinity of the Ardmore Road. They expressed concerns about various issues, including the high proportion of apartments and their visual impact, the increased demand on local facilities, road safety, and the impact a development of this scale would have on biodiversity.