Kilkenny housing scheme set to go ahead despite local concerns

An Coimisiún Pleanála has upheld planning permission for a new housing development at Rath Ullord on the outskirts of Kilkenny City, despite appeals from local residents over its scale, traffic and potential impact on neighbouring homes.

The Commission has granted permission to Madill Property Limited for the development at Rath Ullord, New Orchard, Bonnettsrath Road, subject to a range of conditions.

The application originally sought permission for 46 residential units, but the final permission has been reduced to 45 homes following the omission of one dwelling and the use of an alternative layout.

The development will contain a mixture of detached and semi-detached houses, duplexes and apartments. The plans also include a three-storey mixed-use building with apartments above a ground-floor commercial unit, along with a separate three-storey apartment building.

Other works include the replacement of the existing roundabout at the entrance with a T-junction and raised table, as well as internal roads, footpaths, pedestrian crossings, car parking, public lighting, landscaping and public open space.

Kilkenny County Council granted permission for the development in February, subject to conditions. That decision was subsequently appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála by three parties.

The appeals raised a wide range of concerns, including the density and scale of the development, the height and massing of buildings, traffic and parking, and the potential impact on the privacy and residential amenity of current residents.

Concerns were also raised about overlooking and overshadowing, while appellants questioned whether the latest plans had adequately addressed a previous refusal on the same site.

That earlier proposal involved 53 residential units and included a four-storey block and a three-storey block. The current application was described by the developer as a modified proposal intended to address the previous refusal.

In assessing the latest scheme, the planning inspector found that changes to the height and massing of the principal blocks represented a “significant improvement”.

The inspector also rejected concerns that the development would result in significant overlooking. Proposed detached homes along the northern boundary have rear gardens of approximately 15 to 20 metres, while separation between opposing first-floor windows of proposed and existing homes is more than 20 metres. The inspector concluded that the proposal would not give rise to significant overlooking or consequent loss of privacy.

Traffic and parking were another focus of the appeals, with concerns raised about congestion on Bonnettsrath Road and at its junction with New Orchard Road.

In its final decision, An Coimisiún Pleanála concluded that, subject to its conditions, the development would not seriously injure residential or visual amenities, adversely affect the character of the area or have an unacceptable impact in terms of traffic or ecology.

Among the conditions, the commercial unit must operate as a café or coffee shop only, between 8am and 9pm, and cannot operate as a hot food takeaway.

The Commission formally decided to grant permission with conditions at its meeting on July 24.