Westmeath County Council has officially notified the public, through a national newspaper advertisement, that it plans to contravene the Mullingar Local Area Plan (2014-2020) in order to allow permission for a major private housing development off Harbour Road and accessible from the new access road to the Primary Care Centre opened last year.
The proposed mixed-use development by Kelbuild Ltd., c/o The Planning Partnership, Oliver Plunkett St., Mullingar on a site in Robinstown townland beside the Canal Supply and behind the existing Primary Care Centre, consists of 97 units (65 houses and 32 apartments), a child care facility and commercial uses. The 2.75 hectare site will have two apartment blocks, 4/5 storeys high, with 16 residential units in each above commercial ground floor units. The plan also involves 65 houses, 8 three-bed and 57 four-bed, two and three storey, with 4,210 sq. m. landscaped open space area, including a centralised “pocket park” and pedestrian footpath to the Mullingar Greenway. The new access road is from the existing new road off Harbour Road into the Primary Care Centre. The site is officially described as “Harbour Road/Marten’s Lane,Robinstown.
The planning file indicates that the developers involved have been in consultation with the County Council since earlier this year and on 6 January last, the design team indicated the applicant’s intention and willingness to enter into an agreement for provision of social housing.
As early as March last, residents on Harbour Road, Mullingar wrote to the Council’s planning department objecting to the granting of planning permission for the development. One resident expressed “huge concern” about safety issues because of entry and exit onto Harbour Road opposite Loreto College, and referring to the long queues of cars, buses and lorries at different times, and with cyclists and pedestrians using the footpaths. The proposed development would further increase the volume of vehicles using Harbour Road, which did not appear to have been taken into consideration. They also objected to work and loud noise late at night and after 4am in the morning during the Primary Care Construction work.
Another objector complained about how they as long-time existing Harbour Road residents, were treated during construction of the Medical Care Centre, with promises not delivered on, and stating they were not going to be treated similarly in this instance. In any planning permit, it was essential that there be a strict limit on the number of housing units permitted. No out of hours night work, particularly during pile driving on the flood plain should be allowed, and they needed guarantees that run off from the new development would not swamp land to the rear of their home.
As the proposal would result in over 300 people living on site, and these new residents would have an overview of the rear of Harbour Road houses, this further invasion of privacy must be minimised fully and their security would be further threatened by the development, the objectors stated.
CLOSING DATE FOR
SUBMISSIONS
The Council’s advertisement, dated 24 October says any submission or observation “as regards making a decision to grant permission” received “not later than 4 weeks after 24 October (which would be Tuesday week, 21 November) will be duly considered.”
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