Planning Granted For 179 Newtown Homes

Newtown, yesterday, around teatime

s they appeal An Bord Pleanála’s refusal for 41 apartments and four commercial units on Newtown’s main street, Dwyer Nolan Developments Ltd are also celebrating their decision to give application for 179 new units at Season Park the thumbs up.

Bizarrely, the refused main street application had local support, whereas the approved 179 new units faced strong objections from not only the local community but Wicklow County Council and local representatives too.

A number of submissions were received arguing that the area lacks the required infrastructure to deal with the additional 121 houses and 58 apartments, with the Newtownmountkennedy Town Team and ReWild Wicklow being particularly vocal.

For their part, Wicklow County Council recommended a refusal on a number of grounds, including concerns over public safety by reason of a traffic hazard for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. They pointed out the fact that the site was a remote location away from the town with no existing pedestrian or cycling connection to the town centre, but the ABP inspector stated that the proposed development does incorporate safe access for vehicle, pedestrian and cycle movements, arguing that “the proposed density is not contrary to national planning policy and therefore is acceptable in principle“.

Chair of the Housing SPC for Wicklow County Council, Cllr John Snell expressed his disappointment at the APB decision, saying, “Wicklow County Council and most public representatives didn’t support the application and made their feelings clear. I just feel that Strategic Housing Development applications going straight to An Bord Pleanála rather than going through the Local Authority bypasses local democracy.

“Good planning involves linking together developments rather than having sporadic developments taking place here, there and everywhere.”

An emotion firmly seconded by Cllr Tom Fortune.

Meanwhile, Dwyer Nolan are appealing Wicklow County Council’s refusal for a development of 41 residential units and four commercial units at the derelict Kilmacullagh site on Newtown’s main street, with the ABP decision due on December 12th. This follows First Step Homes also lodging an appeal with An Bord Pleanála in June after Wicklow County Council refused their application for 61 new homes at Seasons Park. That decision is due by October 10th.

Back in March, a petition started by Newtown shops and restaurants against proposed Plan 8 changes to the main street was signed by over 500 people, many angry with the fact that Wicklow County Council hadn’t consulted local residents, business people or public representatives.

In regard to the 179 new Season Park units just approved, Cllr Snell concluded, “As part of the new County Development Plan we are working on, it had been planned to place this site as a Strategic Land Bank for future development further down the line, in six or seven years.

“Now that An Bord Pleanála have made this decision, it leaves us with a County Development Plan that doesn’t reflect what people wanted.”