Donegal County Council refuses planning for Letterkenny residential dwellings

Planning permission has been denied by Donegal County Council for the construction of four residential properties in Ballyraine, Letterkenny, near the Arena 7 Entertainment Complex.

The decision to refuse planning permission was due to a number of factors, including flood risk fears, concerns of overdevelopment, poor access to an adjoining waterfeature, and traffic hazards.

Donegal-based Diamond Real Estate Ltd was the listed named applicant, applying for the construction of four two-storey dwellings off the R245, along with garden storage sheds, communal amenity space, car parking and an access road to include a turn-off lane on a public road.

All ancillary site works, including connection to existing public services, provision of a new entrance, public lighting and all associated site development works, are included in the proposals. 

The applicant was advised to speak with the area planner following receipt of the decision.

This decision was not Diamond Real Estate Ltd’s first application for development of the subject site, as planning was also refused in 2014, for a commercial tool hire and sales yard. 

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Within the planner’s report, it was felt that the proposal had not demonstrated that flood risk would not remain with the development, and/or property or public infrastructure elsewhere.

It was “considered that the provision of four dwellings on a constrained backland infill site would constitute an overdevelopment of the site and would result in an excessive density that is out of scale and beyond the capacity of the site.” 

Regarding biodiversity, it was reported that “the proposed development fails to respond positively to the presence of the adjoining watercourse by providing no meaningful public access, frontage or amenity space in association with it,” and “the development would result in a poor relationship between built form and the natural feature.”

Moreover, the Planning Authority were not satisfied that the proposed development, individually, or in combination with other plans or projects, “would not have a significant impact on the integrity of the Natura 2000 site.”

Finally, the Planning Authority was also not satisfied that the proposed turn-off lane from the regional road would not result in traffic issues, and to “permit the proposed development would endanger public safety by reason of a traffic hazard,” and “thereby be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”