An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) has rejected a planning application by Cairn Homes for 280 new homes in Newcastle South in Co Dublin following a three-year process.
The proposed 8.5 hectare development, consisting of 128 houses, 116 apartments and 36 duplex units, was made directly to the planning commission as a strategic housing development in June 2022.
The houses, if granted, would have been two-storey units, 94 of which would have been three-bedroom homes. The remainder would have been made up of eight two-bedroom units, 25 four-bedroom homes and a single five-bedroom property.
The apartments would be spread across two five-storey buildings, with the duplex apartments located across three buildings each with three-storeys.
RM Block
A total of 423 parking spaces were planned, alongside provision for 370 bicycles with open, green spaces and amenity assets planned.
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The seven-year planning permission application was refused on a number of grounds. During the three-year period, Cairn Homes had two other applications approved in the area.
The direction issued by ACP’s planning commissioner Paul Caprani noted “that the baseline environment as set out in the EIAR [Environmental Impact Assessment Report] and the NIS [Natura Impact Statement] is inaccurate” leading to the documentation in the application being “fundamentally flawed”.
This, he said, was due to a “large portion” of the site currently being under construction as part of a separate residential development project.
He said that granting permission for the proposed development in line with the submitted plans would, “result in alterations to the layout which would necessitate changes and demolition of dwellings”.
The demolition of homes would be contrary to the South Dublin County Council Development Plan goal of prioritising retrofitting buildings instead of demolition and reconstruction.
The direction notice further notes that the architectural variety in the two apartment blocks was inadequate and would “adversely impact” the visual and residential amenity of the area.
Local councillors, when the plans were presented in mid-2022, noted “serious concern in relation to the growth of Newcastle”, the ACP inspectors report noted, with a number of public bodies being consulted in the process.
Cairn Homes was contacted for comment.
