Businesses appeal apartment block development in heart of Letterkenny

Several businesspeople in Letterkenny have objected to the development of a six-storey apartment block in the heart of the town.

Donegal County Council gave the go-ahead to Gerald McCallion of Glenturas Construction Ltd for the development of the apartment block, featuring 30 apartments, on site at the junction of the Pearse and Paddy Harte roads.

However, that decision has now been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

The developer initially sought permission for a five-storey building containing 28 apartments, but that has been extended.

Donegal County Council granted permission, subject to 25 conditions, including an agreement that restricts all residential units to first occupation by the individual purchasers.

However, businesses in the area, vexed at the already much-maligned traffic issues in the area, are set to fight their case.

Gary Cooney, the owner of Cooney’s Home & Garden and Gary’s Pet World, Giles McGee of Charleys Cafe, Patsy and Grainne McGranaghan of Mill View B&B and Stephen Harris at the Tyre Centre are among those who have lodged submissions.

An Bord Pleanála say that the case will be decided by April 30, 2025.

Mr McGee cited an increase in traffic congestion and a backup of vehicles in a submission to the local authority. This, he said, added “to the torture of going back into traffic jams”.

“A temporary island junction is entirely obsolete for the function that it was temporarily constructed some 16 years ago,” he said, adding that the development would cause “traffic mayhem” and would go against proper planning policy.

Mr Cooney said there was already a lack of infrastructure and a proper road layout in the area. Businesses, he said, have already seen “an incredible reduction in business as proposed customers cannot pass freely along the adjoining roadway and have no confidence in free movement or parking areas”

Mr Cooney said the development would significantly add to “cramming and jamming of traffic on a daily basis”.

He said that Donegal County Council has “neglected” the commercial and retail traders of this area and pointed out that the proposed entrance was located at a “traffic bottleneck”.

Read next: Fresh planning permission application for Letterkenny apartments

John G Larkin said it was “unacceptable” that the development would be proposed using the infrastructure currently in place. He said it “is absolutely unbelievable and beggars belief” that no traffic survey was conducted.