Housing plan appealed to Bord Pleanála again

The decision by Westmeath County Council to give permission for a 245-unit development in the Dublin Road, Ardmore Road area has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

Early last month, Andrews Construction Ltd was given the green light to build a mix of semi-detached, terraced and detached houses as well as duplex units and apartments, and a crèche.

The application was the subject of a number of objections from local householders, who expressed concerns about issues including road safety, pressure on resources, the density of the development and the threat to biodiversity.

The 9.72-hectare site for which the Andrews Construction development is proposed is opposite Gleann Petit and to the rear of Pettiswood Manor, and it extends across to the Ardmore Road, facing Holy Family Primary School.

The breakdown of the housing mix is for 70 4-bed semi-detached houses, with 132 3-bed houses which are to come in the form of terraced, semi-detached and detached buildings. The remainder are eight 2-bedroom duplex units and 35 apartments in a 4-storey apartment block.

In terms of car parking provision, the application proposes 442 spaces across the entire site in the form of in-curtilage and out-of-curtilage residential parking, crèche and apartment dedicated parking and visitor and accessibility parking spaces. The application also proposes 550 secure bicycle parking spaces.

The plan for communal open space provision is that it extends to 1.78 acres.

Among the conditions put in place by Westmeath County Council is one requiring that the developers pay over a bond of €1.47m and that the firm make a development contribution of €826,103.12 together with a further special development contribution of €293,095.

A 2023 application by the same firm for a similar development on that site was granted conditional planning permission by Westmeath County Council, but that decision was overturned following an appeal by a number of parties to An Bord Pleanála.

The An Bord Pleanála decision was on the basis that the Ardmore-Marlinstown framework plan set as an objective the provision of an arterial road connecting the Dublin and Ardmore roads along the western boundary of the site, but that the Andrews proposal made no provision for that.

Therefore, the planners ruled, the application would materially contravene the Mullingar Local Area Plan and consequently be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

The scheme is the third major application granted approval for that area in recent months. The case is due to be decided by ABP by April 17.