Planning permission refused for 97 homes outside Waterford city 

Kilkenny County Council said the proposal would "prejudice" plans for a key link road for the area, while also not being of a high enough density.

An application for 97 homes outside Waterford City has been stalled after it was refused planning permission.

Developer, Michael Doyle Civil Engineering, had submitted an application seeking to develop a site at Abbeylands, Ferrybank, which is located across the county boundary in south Kilkenny.

But planners in Kilkenny County Council rejected the proposal, saying that it was "premature" and would "prejudice" plans for a key link road for the area, while also not being of a high enough density.

Density has been flagged at national level in recent years and partly led to the forming of the now-scrapped Strategic Housing Developments, which were to encourage builders to include at least 100 units in their proposals.

"It is considered that the proposed development is not developed at a sufficiently high density given the location of the site and its proximity to existing and proposed services," the council said, noting that Ferrybank is the largest urban area outside of Kilkenny city in the county, as part of the wider Waterford City area.

The proposed development in Ferrybank was to include 14 four-bed semi-detached houses, 30 three-bed semi-detached houses and 28 three-bed end-of-terrace houses. There would also be 24 three-bed mid-terrace houses and a single four-bed detached house across the 3.1-hectare site.

But Kilkenny County Council said it is "premature" to build the site ahead of the completion and approval of a link road between Abbey Road and Belmont Road, which is listed as a strategic objective in the local area's development plan.

"The proposed development if granted could prejudice the proposed options for the road and would therefore be contrary to proper planning," it said in its rejection letter.

Refusal was urged by the council's roads department, while the parks office flagged a concern that the third phase of the estate's development would see houses backing out onto the South East Greenway.

In its report, planners noted that national and regional objectives view Waterford City as the primary urban centre of the South East, noting there is a need to "rebalance" the city by developing north of the River Suir into Ferrybank.

However, the report said inadequate information was provided for surface water drainage with a concern that it could impact on the River Suir.

While the developer, which was previously involved in a housing proposal on the western side of Waterford City near Bilberry, had said water could discharge via existing drainage systems, the council noted an "uncertainty" as to whether this is even taking place at present.