Donegal County Council denies permission for 16-house Killybegs development

Donegal County Council has denied a planning permission application for the erection of 16 houses in Killybegs.

Proposed plans, submitted by Barry and Mary Gell, also included the connection to the public sewer and services, and the provision of an attenuation tank for the purpose of surface water storage.

A revised site layout, proposed for a site located on the Old Fintra Road, was submitted by Michael Friel Architects & Surveyors Ltd in November, which provided for a mix of three, four, and five-bedroom houses.

The Planner’s Report for Donegal County Council recommended that the planning application be refused, stating that “the Planning Authority considers that the residential scheme does not promote placemaking or a sense of place,” and “the location of open space next to a roadway does not provide security or safety, and the central open area is not adequately passively supervised.”

Secondly, the Planning Authority were “not satisfied that the proposed drainage management proposals will not cause flooding in the local area by reason of inadequate measures to prevent surface water runoff from the site area and the construction access route.”

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The Old Fintra Road site has been subject to numerous planning applications, including by the current applicants, who had tried to get 16-house and 13-house developments permitted in 2024 and 2022. 

Elsewhere, Uretica Ltd had an application refused for 52 dwellings and two apartment blocks containing eight apartments in 2007. 

Michael Friel Architects and Surveyors, on behalf of Barry and Mary Gell, had argued when submitting their most recent application that “the location of the site lends itself well to the supply of water for the proposed houses. 

“Killybegs Water Treatment Plant's capacity to supply potable water has increased significantly with the investment of €9 million by Irish Water.”

Regarding the housing needs of Killybegs, the application read: “The applicant has had extensive discussions with local auctioneers and builders, as well as those with a housing need in the Killybegs area, in regards to what the housing need is and what type of houses the market wants in the area. 

“Given the location of the site being 0.5km from the town centre, but on an elevated site, it is considered that low-density residential is the correct development for the site.”

It was further argued that the “location of the scheme is extremely convenient to all of the services available within the town of Killybegs and is accessed via the Old Fintra County  Road, which has the benefit of public lighting and footpaths for most of the road.”