Refusal for north Louth housing development upheld

The decision by Louth County Council to refuse planning permission for a development of six houses in Dundalk has been upheld by An Bord Pleanála.

Talitha, Rafael and Gabriella Matthews applied to Louth County Council in December 2023 for planning permission for the development at Mill Road in Dundalk. The planned development comprised six, three bedroom semi-detached dwellings and all associated site development works, which would include the demolition of an existing dwelling on the site.

Louth County Council made the decision to refuse planning permission in February 2024 for reasons including that "the proposal for six houses would result in overdevelopment of the site and would be out of character with the existing linear pattern of development in the vicinity of the site."

Other reasons cited for refusing planning permission included that the applicant failed to demonstrate that proposed surface water disposal arrangements on the site were in compliance with the Louth County Development Plan 2021-2027.

The decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála in March 2024, with An Bord Pleanála making the decision to refuse planning permission on 11 April 2025. Included in its reasons for refusing planning permission, An Bord Pleanála said the "provision of appropriate surface water drainage systems have not been clearly demonstrated having regard to the requirements of Policy Objectives IU19 and ENV15 of the Louth County Development Plan 2021-2027".

Read next: €329k funding to protect archaeological monuments in Louth

It also said that "the application has not demonstrated that the proposed development would protect and conserve areas designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives in relation to Dundalk Bay Special Area of Conservation and Dundalk Bay Special Protection Area and as such has not demonstrated due regard to or compliance with Policy Objective NBG3 of the Louth County Development Plan 2021-2027."