Planning granted for 60 houses within Ballincollig housing estate 

An Bord Pleanála has overturned a decision by Cork City Council to permit the building of 60 new homes within the Classes Lake estate

An Bord Pleanála has overturned Cork City Council's decision and granted planning permission for 60 houses within a Ballincollig estate despite concerns of residents and An Taisce. Picture: Gareth Chaney / Collins Photos

An Bord Pleanála has overturned a city council decision and has granted planning for 60 houses within a larger housing estate on the western outskirts of Cork city.

It will lead to the development of one of the last remaining undeveloped tracts of land in the Classes Lake estate in Ballincollig.

Local residents had objected last year to the development proposal from CLBK Construction Services Ltd for a mix of four, three, and two-bed dwellings on a two-hectare site located between the Sycamores area of Classes Lake and the nearby Westcourt Heights housing estate.

Vehicular access was proposed from the Sycamores and from the Willows area of Classes Lake to the south. Pedestrian paths were proposed to connect to Westcourt Heights.

In refusing planning, city planners said while the density of the development was acceptable, the proposed layout and design at the north-east corner of the site would result in a substandard form of development and would seriously injure the amenities of future occupants, and that the design of one specific property was “at variance with the character of the houses to the immediate north and would have a negative impact on the visual amenities of the area”.

They also said the planning authority was not satisfied that the development could deliver “appropriate access to the site” or that the applicant had “sufficient legal interest” to access the site.

CLBK, care of Collins Maher Martin Architects in Dublin, appealed the decision to the board, with observations from a number of local residents, the Classes Lake Residents Association, and An Taisce, who flagged many of the same concerns.

The applicants included revised plans showing the realignment of five houses which city planners had flagged concerns about, and they set out their legal position around access to the development site.

In her report, board inspector Pauline Fitzpatrick said the applicant had provided “sufficient evidence of legal interest” to make the application and to carry out works to allow for access to the site, and she said the traffic generated by the development would represent a modest increase at the main Classes Lake estate junction, which could be accommodated.

The board granted planning and attached a number of routine conditions.