'Dying' Waterford village to be boosted by application to build 51 homes

Developer Michael Ryan plans to build 12 two-bed, 32 three-bed and seven four-bed dwellings on a 1.8 hectare site at Duffcarrick, close to Ardmore Beach. File picture: Eddie O'Hare

A west Waterford village that claims to be dying on its feet due to a housing shortage has been boosted by a planning application to build 51 homes.

Developer Michael Ryan plans to build 12 two-bed, 32 three-bed and seven four-bed dwellings on a 1.8 hectare site at Duffcarrick, close to Ardmore Beach. His application comes two years after he was refused planning on the same site for a 41-unit scheme.

On that occasion, Waterford Council rejected his design, particularly in regard to the quality of proposed open spaces, the height of the proposed buildings and the impact on adjoining developments.

A KPMG report accompanying the current application addresses the reasons behind the initial refusal and assures there will be “high-quality open space”, totalling 3,649 sq metres, along with revised heights for the houses.

Two recent public meetings in Ardmore have emphasised a desperate need for housing to prevent young residents from leaving the village in search of homes. As the population falls, the local national school expects to lose a teacher next year due to declining enrolments.

While very much welcoming visitors, the prevalence of homes being built and left idle off-season now weighs heavily on a dwindling populace whose younger members have to leave the village to find a place to live.

With no council house having been built in Ardmore since 2001, Waterford Council have committed to building 32 social and affordable homes on a sloping site at Farrangarret on the village’s perimeter.

The village is also the target of a council-led ‘village centre enhancement’ project in a bid to upgrade its social, commercial and residential potential after years of stagnation.

An Bord Pleanála’s decision on the Ardmore application is expected by February 17.