Donegal County Council grants planning for 82-unit Letterkenny housing development

Donegal County Council has granted planning permission for 82 new homes, many of which are planned social housing units, as part of an existing housing development at Ardan Rua, Letterkenny. 

Property Hold Ltd was the listed applicant for the planning permission application, which is located adjacent to An Gleann Rua.

The planned site for the 82 new homes already has live permission for 53 units. 

Proposed units include 12 one-bed apartments. Two two-bed apartments, 44 two-bed houses, and 24 three-bed houses. Each house would have a garden and two off-street parking spaces. 

In the submitted application, Michael Friel Architects & Surveyors Ltd said: “The unit sizes and types have been altered so as to better suit the needs of the Social Housing market and discussions have been had by the applicant with Clúid Housing Association who have advised that they are happy with the House size, type and layout and will be happy to take ownership of the units when they are constructed.”

The company concluded in their cover letter: “The units will be used as social Housing units and are shovel-ready if permission is granted, which will mean that the units will be available to be resided in in the near future, all going well.”

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Donegal County Council granted the application permission with 29 conditions, including a condition that the applicant, or person entitled to the benefit of the permission, should pay a contribution of €169,346.40, in respect of public infrastructure and facilities benefitting development in the area of the Planning Authority that is already provided, or is intended to be provided by the Authority. 

A further condition was set, in the interests of orderly development and to ensure the satisfactory completion of the development, that before any part of the development is commenced, the developer should provide adequate security to the Planning Authority, in the sum of €410,000. The security is for the provision and completion of all services provided, and would be acceptable via a bond of a banking or insurance company acceptable to the Planning Authority, or a cash deposit, or any such other security the council may approve. 

Finally, it was considered reasonable that the developer should contribute towards the specific exceptional costs which are incurred by the Planning Authority, which are not covered in the Development Contribution Scheme and which benefit the proposed development, which amounted to €130,500.