Bord Pleanála has given the go-ahead for a €35 million housing development in the Co Wicklow village of Ashford.
The appeals board granted planning permission for the 117-unit development in the face of of local opposition and a recommendation by Wicklow County Council that the scheme be refused planning permission.
The scheme comprises 99 houses and 18 duplexes in the townland of Ballinalea, Ashford.
In common with two other recent decisions relating to “fast-track” residential planning schemes, the board has inserted a condition in the permission banning corporate entities purchasing the houses and duplexes en masse and restricting the sale to individual purchasers.
The board said it included the condition to ensure an adequate choice and supply of housing in the common good.
The council recommended refusal after concluding that the scheme would contravene the Ashford Town Plan and have an impact on the safe operation of the local road network. It raised concerns about density.
Ashford Tidy Towns and a number of locals lodged submissions relating to the scheme by Kingsbridge Design and Consultancy Ltd. However, the appeals board gave the scheme its approval after its inspector, Rachel Gleave O'Connor, concluded that it was an appropriate and compatible addition to the location.
Apartments
In a separate Strategic Housing Development (SHD) decision, the appeals board has granted planning permission to developer Joe O’Reilly’s Ruirside Developments for 191 apartments in blocks ranging from five to six storeys just outside Finglas in Dublin despite strong local opposition.
The appeals board granted planning permission for the scheme at the former Premier Dairies site on Finglas Road after concluding that the proposal would not seriously injure the residential or visual amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity.
The board received 45 submissions, with locals expressing concerns over the height of the scheme and that the proposed development would not encourage family living but would encourage transient living.
Dublin City Council did recommend that planning permission be granted for the scheme.
