Dundalk councillors meet over planned 166 unit housing development in Blackrock

A special Dundalk Municipal District meeting was held last week, to give local councillors the opportunity to submit their observations on the 166 unit housing development planned for the Old Golf Links Road in Blackrock.

Due to changes in the planning process in Ireland, planning applications for housing developments of more than 100 residential units are now made directly to An Bord Pleanála.

As part of the process local representatives submit their observations, which are included in the Planner's Report that is submitted by the local authority to An Bord Pleanála.

At last week's meeting a number of local councillors submitted their observations, including Cllr Maria Doyle, who the Dundalk Democrat contacted following the meeting to understand some of the issues voiced at the meeting.

Cllr Doyle stated that while she recognises there are flaws with the present Core Strategy for the wider Dundalk area and that it needs to be reviewed, each application needs to be assess on its own merits.

With this particular application, Cllr Doyle said, “I think there are issues with this one as it currently stands:

1. “Tuites Lane: the application seeks to access Tuite's Lane for pedestrians. Tuite's Lane is a privately owned lane, not in the charge of Louth County Council.

“It is quite narrow and is not of a sufficient standard to deal with increased use. The plans give little consideration to the pedestrians and cyclists once they leave the proposed development site.

“The residents also have concerns regarding potential Anti Social Behaviour as the lane is dark and quiet.”

2. “Infrastructural upgrades along the Old Golf Links Road and Rock Road are needed before any further development in the area takes places.

“I have been working alongside Blackrock Tidy Towns to get footpaths built as they are badly needed and we have secured 100,000 euro in funding through Town and Village Renewal but even more investment than this is required.”

3. “The risk of flooding is a huge concern to many of the residents in the vicinity of this site. the Blackrock Watercourse runs through the site and the risk of this flooding is high.

“There is also a risk identified of flooding due to culverts getting blocked. While these have been outlined and some proposals put forward in the planning application, the local residents are still very concerned.

4. “The application proposes building 3-storey apartment blocks on the boundary of people's gardens. This will encroach on the privacy of existing homeowners.”

Among concerns voiced by other cllrs at the meeting, Cllr Emma Coffey raised previous issues with the developer and compliance issues in the past. She suggested that there be strict terms regarding completion of the development, including a cash bond of significant value.

Other councillors including Cllr Maeve Yore and Cllr Conor Keelan also voiced these concerns, with Cllr Keelan calling for payment of a cash bond.