Dundalk councillors in appeal against housing at Cu Chulainn's Castle

Four Dundalk representatives, Councillors Seán Kelly, Andrea McKevitt, Emma Coffey and Shane McGuinness, have lodged an appeal with An Coimisiún Pleanála (formerly An Bord Pleanála) against the decision by Louth County Council to grant planning for a Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) of 1,025 homes beside Cu Chulainn's Castle in Dundalk.

Louth County Council granted planning permission in July to Grandspect Limited for the development at Castletown Road, Dundalk, on a site of c. 38.89ha (96.1 acres), bounded generally by the Castletown Road/R934 to the north, Mount Avenue and Cú Chulainn’s Castle to the east, Greyacre Road to the west, and existing agricultural lands to the south within the Townlands of Newtownbalregan, Castletown, and Farrandreg, at Mount Avenue, Castletown.

Two new vehicular entrances are proposed to serve the development forming new junctions at Castletown Road/R934 and Mount Avenue respectively.

The development includes plans for a of public open space of c. 5.1Ha (12.6 acres) within the residential development, including provision of a playing pitch, and the provision of a Heritage Park on the lands surrounding Cú Chulainn’s Castle to the east.

Planning permission was granted for the development, subject to 51 planning conditions.

Scores of submissions had been lodged objecting to the application, as well as a petition with over 10,000 signatures being sent to Louth County Council, seeking to protect Cú Chulainn’s Castle and the surrounding landscape.

Cllr Kelly and Cllr McKevitt are listed as third party appeallants in the appeal lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála on 11 August against the decision.

Councillors Emma Coffey and Shane McGuinness are also part of the appeal, but as Cllr Kelly and Cllr McKevitt were named in the submission made to Louth County Council on the original planning application, they were listed as appellants in the appeal.

Five Grounds of Appeal are listed in the appeal lodged by the councillors and are as follows:

• Ground One - Failure to demonstrate compliance with the Louth County Development Plan
• Ground Two - Failure to demonstrate adequate protection of archaeological heritage
• Ground Three - Failure to protect landscape character and visual amenity
• Ground Four - Failure to demonstrate acceptable environmental effects
• Ground Five - Failure to demonstrate proper planning and sustainable development

The councillors ask that An Coimisiún Pleanála allow the appeal and set aside Louth County Council’s decision to grant planning permission, and refuse planning permission for the development.

They also ask that should the Board grant planning permission, that it satisifies itself that:

• the proposal demonstrably complies with the Development Plan;
• the archaeological and cultural landscape surrounding Dún Dealgan has been afforded the level of protection envisaged by the Development Plan;
• the cumulative environmental effects of the proposal are acceptable;
• the statutory planning balance has been properly addressed; and
• any permission granted adequately reflects the Board’s findings on these issues.

It is not yet clear how many other third party appeals have been lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála against the planned development, or when the case will be decided upon, but it is understood that at least one more third party appeal has been lodged.

While it is not yet clear when the appeal will be decided upon, An Coimisiún Pleanála has a statutory objective to try to decide cases within 18 weeks.