More Lego For Newtown

Newtown, yesterday. Around teatime.

s with just about square mile around here, it’s hard to keep up with the developments landing on Newtownmountkennedy these days.

In 2021, there were applications for Papaver’s 26 houses in May, Knockree’s 58 houses in July, Dwyer Nolan Developments’ 220 residential units SHD application and Rockfield’s 57 houses.

It’s all change. Fresh after the Part 8 plans for the town centre refurbishment in February and the January application from Barbara Ogilvy Watson for a 100-bed nursing home to be built adjacent to the new ring road came another pre-validation application in March 2022, this one from First Step Homes for 61 residential units on Season Park Road.

Here’s the lowdown…

61 no. residential units comprising 44 no. dwellings (1 no. 1 bed unit, 12 no. 2 bed units and 31 no. 3 bed units), 17 no. Independent Living Units (15 no.1 bed and 2 no. 2 – bed units) and associated Community Day Centre facility (c.53 m2 GFA) on a stated site area c.17698m2 (1.77 Ha). The residential units will be serviced by 73 no. within – curtilage, 26 no. on street surface car parking spaces, 20 no. bicycle parking spaces, refuse storage, 2 no. public open space area combining 2199.56m2, a children’s play area, the provision of a new access roadway from Season Park Road and all associated site development, landscaping and engineering works necessary to facilitate this development.

The application number is 22259 and you can check it out over on Wicklow Planning here.

Having got the thumbs down, in June 2022, First Steps Homes have now lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanala.

Cover painting by Simone Walsh.