Planning for 200 homes on outskirts of Cork City rejected by An Coimisiún Pleanála

Among reasons for rejection was proposed development's adverse impact on retail business in Blarney and Ballincollig

CGI images of the proposed 198-unit strategic housing development scheme in Cloghroe, Cork: An Coimisiún Pleanála turned down the planning application.

Planning permission for almost 200 new homes on the outskirts of Cork City as part of a mixed-use residential and retail development has been firmly rejected for a number of reasons, including its adverse impact on retail business in Blarney and Ballincollig.

An Coimisiún Pleanála has turned down a planning application by Cloghroe Development Limited for a strategic housing development of 198 residential units at Coolflugh, Cloghroe, Tower, Co Cork.

The plans comprised 117 houses and 79 apartments and duplex units across six three-storey blocks, as well as two apartments above a cafe on a 7.5-hectare site.

The development, which would have required the demolition of two existing agricultural buildings, had also provided for a creche, a retail food store with an off-licence, and an urban plaza, along with an upgrade to the R617 Blarney Road.

An Coimisiún Pleanála listed five separate grounds for refusing planning permission for the project. 

Cork City Council had recommended it should have been approved subject to a large number of conditions as it would make “a significant contribution to addressing the housing shortage in the city”.

Several councillors had expressed reservations about the scheme. 

The commission noted the Cork City Development Plan (CCDP) 2022-2028 stated Tower did not require additional retail floorspace during the lifetime of the plan.

It pointed out the village was not listed in the CCDP’s retail hierarchy, while the site of the proposed development was not identified as a neighbourhood, local, or village centre.

The commission said the plans would undermine the council’s retail strategy and would “likely have an adverse impact on the vitality and viability on the nearby settlements of Blarney and Ballincollig".

It concluded they would represent a material contravention of the CCDP which meant the development would be “inconsistent with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area". 

The planning board said the proposed development did not meet the unit mix requirements, while the proposed density of 35 residential units per hectare was below the minimum density of 40 units per hectare set out for Tower in the CCDP.

The commission said the plans also contravened the retail planning guidelines for planning authorities, which are used to justify medium- to large-scale retail development in out-of-centre locations. They require the provision of retail floor space to be “plan-led".

In addition, it said the proposed development did not meet the unit mix requirements, while the proposed density of 35 residential units per hectare was below the minimum density of 40 units per hectare set out for Tower in the CCDP.

The commission noted the number of one-bed apartments exceeded the 20% maximum limit in the CCDP, while the number of apartments with three beds or more was less than the 50% set out in the plan.

The CCDP also requires all planning applications for multiple housing units in Tower to be examined in the context of the current and future capacity of Cloghroe National School. The issue is a “determining factor” in the number and phasing of such developments.

The commission said the developer had not provided any information about the future demand on or existing capacity of the school in its planning application.

Cloghroe Development said the scheme would have continued with the implementation of the planned and sustainable delivery of housing in Tower, as well as the expansion of retail services to meet an identified demand.

The developer's consultants claimed demand for additional retail development in Tower was high due to its growing population, while the current reliance on businesses in Ballincollig and Blarney to serve their needs encouraged “unsustainable travel patterns".

A total of 37 third-party submissions were made to An Commission Pleanála, with many pointing out Tower had already exceeded its development target of 182 new housing units under the CCDP.

Some observers claimed the land earmarked for a supermarket could be better used as a sports pitch given inadequate play facilities in the area.

The commission made the ruling after the planning application had been remitted back to it by the High Court in May 2024 after successful judicial review proceedings were taken against a split-decision by An Bord Pleanála.

The board had refused planning permission for the retail element of the plans but had granted planning permission for the remainder of the project.