An Bord Pleanála refuses planning for 194 apartments in Dundalk

An Bord Pleanála has upheld the decision by Louth County Council to refuse planning permission for a new Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) of 194 apartments at Hill Street in Dundalk.

Zirbac DLK Ltd (Part of the Cabriz Group), applied for planning permission in January for an LRD of 194 apartments, comprising 32 one-bed, 133 two-bed and 29 three-bed units in eight distinctive blocks (A to H), ranging in height from part one storey to five storeys in height across the site. Proposed site works for the development had included the raising of the site in parts and the diversion of existing piped infrastructure.

The proposed development also provided for a childcare facility within Block A, which would have its own outdoor play space and set down area as well as staff car parking and bicycle parking.

In order to preserve the integrity of the existing pedestrian/cycle track from the Dublin Road to the Avenue Road and the open section of the River Blackwater that run north-south broadly through the centre of the site, two separate vehicular accesses were proposed to serve the development from the Dublin Road/Hill Street. A pedestrian/cycle only link would also be provided across the Blackwater River.

The first vehicular access to the development would have been a new access onto Dublin Road / Hill Street and would serve 75 dwellings. The second vehicular access would have been the existing access road onto Dublin Road at Mourne View Hall which would provide access to 119. apartments. A new bus stop would also have been provided fronting onto Dublin Road along with cycle stands for the proposed Dundalk Bike Scheme. 

Read also: Refusal for housing development in north Louth appealed

Louth County Council made the decision to refuse planning permission on 10 March, saying in its decision that the proposed development is located in an area of land that is identified as a flood risk, and that as per the Louth County Development Plan 2021-2027, as varied, new development should be avoided in areas at risk of flooding.

Included in its decision to refuse the appeal by Zirbac DLK Ltd, An Bord Pleanála said that the proposed development would "result in an increased flood risk both within the proposed development and on surrounding lands, would be prejudicial to
public health and safety, and would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area."

An Bord Pleanála also said that "Policy Objective HOU 24 of the Louth County Development Plan requires the provision of high quality areas of public open space in new residential developments that are functional spaces, centrally located and passively
overlooked. Having regard to the absence of any dedicated communal amenity space to serve proposed Blocks C & E; the substandard size of the space proposed to serve Blocks A & B; and the substandard design quality and functionality of the proposed space to serve Blocks F & G; it is considered that the proposed development would fail to adequately address, and would be contrary to Policy Objective HOU 24.

"It is considered therefore that the proposed development would provide a substandard form of development for future occupiers in terms of residential amenity, would give rise to a poor standard of development, and would, therefore, be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area."