Planning refused for 160 houses in Midleton

A mix of one-bed apartments and two, three, and four-bed houses were planned.

Plans to build 270 new homes in Midleton have been partly scuppered after Cork County Council refused permission for 160 of them.

Glenveagh Homes had lodged the Large-Scale Residential Development (LRD) application in August to build 242 houses, 28 apartments, and a creche at the Castleredmond Estate, south of the centre of Midleton.

The proposals also included plans for a 60-child creche, and it was proposed to build the overall development in phases. 

However, the council said the full development was reliant on a new access road being built that is not yet in place.

The site is located to the east of lands owned by O’Flynn Construction which has recently seen three permissions granted for a total of 231 units.

The mix of one-bed apartments and two, three, and four-bed houses were described in the Glenveagh's planning statement as forming a “sustainable residential extension to the town of Midleton and has been designed to integrate with the recently granted housing estates to the immediate west of the site”.

Planners McKutcheon Halley wrote: “It will provide residential development which is appropriate to its setting and of high-quality architectural value and quality, which is viable in development terms and will be attractive to buyers seeking quality family homes in the area.” 

Residents' concerns

Following the planning application, Cork County Council received 50 submissions, many from local residents expressing concerns.

Residents of Ballincurra East and Gearagh Road wrote to the council and highlighted issues such as the already “appalling” traffic conditions in the area and said it wouldn’t be feasible to add several hundred more cars trying to access the R630 road. 

Concerns were also flagged about the existing lack of amenities in the town of Midleton and the high density of the proposal.

Castleredmond Residents Association claimed the applicants had sought to “deliver housing with no regard to the impact the additional loads will have on the amenity of their residents or on existing residents who have for many years struggled with the maintenance of the estate, to their own cost”.

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Planners for the council recommended a split decision on the planning permission, given the need for a new road to be built on adjacent land that hasn’t been delivered yet.

“As set out in the report, the proposal is dependent on an access road through an adjacent development to allow it to proceed (in totality). This road is not yet in place and there is no absolute certainty over its delivery,” its planner said. 

“As such, it is recommended that permission be granted for phase 1 only.” 

In its decision, Cork County Council agreed and gave permission for 110 units. 

It said approving the second and third phases would be “premature” pending the completion of a third-party access road that is “outside the control of either the applicant or the planning authority to ensure completion”.

The option still remains for the developer to appeal the matter to An Bord Pleanála, or lodge fresh planning in the future for the remaining units. 

Glenveagh Homes declined to comment.