Council plans for 500 houses in Midleton axed after planning row

Councillors stated that proposed houses in Midleton were planned for the wrong area. Picture: Denis Minihane

Proposals by council officials for up to 500 new houses in Midleton, Co Cork have been axed after councillors maintained they were being located in the wrong place.

A number of disagreements broke out as councillors and officials yesterday discussed amendments to the County Development Plan which is a blueprint for growth in the region up to 2028.

Sinn Féin councillor Danielle Twomey objected to proposals to axe green belt status on some land at Broomfield, Midleton for the development of the houses.

The county council had received 43 submissions from locals opposing such a development and she said the elevated site would ruin the skyline and overlook their houses, impacting privacy.

Ms Twomey said any development there required “serious blasting of rock” and traffic generated by it would further gridlock Midleton roads.

“I very rarely object to housing, but it has to be in the right place,” Ms Twomey said.

Fine Gael councillor Susan McCarthy said the water run-off would impact on estates lower down and there were no proper amenities in the area.

Green councillor Liam Quaide, who lives in Broomfield, said residents' biggest concern is traffic congestion.

He said it's already a major issue at school times and the impact of up to 500 new households worth of additional traffic will have a major impact on quality-of-life issues for residents.

Ms Twomey's motion proved successful.

Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty sought to rezone 3.8 hectares of land at Woodstock, Carrigtwohill for medium-density residential development, subject to flood risk and ecological assessment.

However, he ran into stiff opposition from several colleagues who, unlike Mr Hegarty, are members of the Cobh Municipal District, which administers Carrigtwohill.

Mr Hegarty handed officials reports from external experts which maintained some mitigation works would address flooding issues and that residential development would have a moderate to low impact on the ecology of the site.

Green Party councillor Alan O'Connor led the opposition of all six Cobh Municipal District councillors. He said the site was to be changed from residential to 'green infrastructure' for a proposed greenway route, in part because it's deemed to be in a flood-risk zone.

“While flood risk may somehow be mitigated at this specific site, a strategic flood-risk assessment takes a broader view of flood risk, considering implications for the wider catchment,” Mr O'Connor said.

He said it would be unwise to go against the recommendations arising from the strategic flood-risk assessment, especially considering the flooding which has occurred in recent years directly downstream of the site.

Mr O'Connor said while he's generally supportive of more residential zoning in Carrigtwohill, the town will see its population increase from 1,411 in 2002 to a projected 9,749 in 2028.

The decision on Mr Hegarty's motion was deferred so councillors could examine the additional information he had provided to officials.