Residents frustrated over Council consultation as Kilkenny housing development progresses

A group of Loughboy Park residents are continuing to voice opposition to a proposed five-unit age friendly housing development which has moved to the Part 8 Planning stage.

The residents are concerned about the loss of part of the park which had 0.18 hectares (6.5%) rezoned from ‘open space’ to ‘existing residential’, leaving 2.65 hectares remaining early last year.

A Facebook group called Save Loughboy Park has amassed nearly 200 members and the group’s creator and local, Bryan Duggan, feels the Council’s consultation and engagement with the community has left much to be desired.

“In terms of their communication, it’s been very, very lax”, Mr Duggan said. “They put letters through the doors of seven houses, that’s it.”

“In the whole area they let seven people know and of those, one was occupied, one was rented, two had elderly people, which left three,” he added.

Opponents of the development have stressed that they are aware of the need for housing in Kilkenny but feel alternate sites would be more appropriate, citing a submission from An Taisce during the consultation period for the land’s rezoning.

The submission read: “Green space is very valuable in estates as refuges for wildlife, educational and social spaces and for the multiple health benefits provided to residents.”

“There is ample land available for development in Kilkenny City. Housing has long been promised in the Abbey Quarter and the latter would be an ideal location for provision of sheltered housing for the elderly and disabled given its proximity to all the city’s amenities.”

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In his report on the submissions, Council Chief Executive, Lar Power, replied that “the Council are constantly looking at potential areas for housing in the city and their assessment of this site resulted in it being deemed suitable housing, thus it is now subject to this variation process”, while also highlighting that the majority of parkland was to be left undisturbed.

Kilkenny County Council’s planning department defended their process and gave assurances that no more green space would be altered to The Kilkenny People in April 2025, saying that they “followed the statutory procedure for proposing and making a variation to the development”, but Loughboy Park residents remain frustrated nearly a year on.

One point which has particularly rankled those against the development is the Council’s assertion that the park has suffered from anti-social behaviour, something which is disputed by Mr Duggan.

“The thing about anti-social behaviour is actually one of the things that's really angering people that I speak to because it’s putting a slur on the area,” he outlined.

The planning department said last year that “in engagement through the housing section, two of the four residents raised the issue of anti-social behaviour, specifically people/teenagers loitering in that location.”

“There’s no antisocial behaviour,” Mr Duggan asserted, who plans to lodge a freedom of information request with Gardaí to find out the number of callouts they’ve had to the park.

“If they come back and say there’s been none, which I expect, I’ve lived there for three years and I haven’t seen one incident that could be classed as antisocial, then I would really be insisting on Kilkenny County Council removing that language from their application because we feel it’s unfair and it’s misrepresenting or really mischaracterising the area,” he concluded.

In a request for comment, the Council responded with details of an information afternoon/evening to be held at St Patrick’s Parish Centre, Loughboy, Kilkenny R95 RF97 from 4pm to 7pm where members of the public can view and discuss the plans with housing staff while the last date for receipt of submission is at 5pm on Friday March 6.

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