Bord Pleanála to decide on 194-bed student building for Cork village
The proposed 194-bed accommodation development in Ringaskiddy is intended for students of the National Maritime College.
Plans for a 194-bed student development in Ringaskiddy have been appealed to An Bord Pleanála, with local residents insisting the project is “wholly inappropriate” for the area.
An application for planning permission was first lodged last April by Patrick Byrne for the halls of residence at Rose Lodge on Main Street, Loughbeg, Ringaskiddy.
Cork County Council's planning department said it wasn’t satisfied the development could be accommodated “without adversely affecting the ecological and biodiversity value of the site”.
The original planning application was rejected but an appeal has now by lodged by the developer with An Bord Pleanála.
The two-to-three-storey development is aimed at providing accommodation for students attending the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) in Ringaskiddy.
Given the location of the NMCI and the shortage of student accommodation in Cork, developers say there is a clear need for the project.
“There are no existing or permitted purpose-built student accommodations in the vicinity of the Rose Lodge site, Carrigaline Metropolitan District, and it is unlikely that these would be provided in the future given the lack of suitably zoned land for such development,” the developer said.
“The shortage of purpose-built student accommodation has become an increasingly serious issue for [Cork] City due to the continuing increase in student numbers and a prolonged under-provision of purpose-built student accommodation across the city.
"The acute need and shortage of student accommodation in Cork have also been identified by various authorities for some time.”
A number of local objections have been raised to the plans.
One resident who lived at a home adjacent to the proposed development said: “A development of this scale and nature would destroy the entire ethos of the village of Ringaskiddy.”
Another said: “Ringaskiddy remains primarily a residential village and this development would be grossly incompatible with the character of housing in the neighbourhood."
The Ringaskiddy Residents’ Group lodged two detailed submissions outlining their concerns regarding the proposed student development and raised the prospect of anti-social behaviour.
“It is fantasy to assume 194 students will behave without 24-hour supervision, and this is evidenced nationwide,” the group said.
Citing examples of what happens to other communities where student accommodation is developed, they added: “The remaining residents, who are unable to leave for various reasons, are left in a ghetto with recurring anti-social issues, and generally poorly maintained properties that necessitate constant intervention/policing by gardaí.”
They also raised issues regarding ecological impacts and biodiversity which were reflected in the council’s decision to turn down the plans.
An Bord Pleanála has said the planning appeal is due to be decided by 27 June.
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