Green light given for Mayo housing development
Approval has been given for the development in Ballinrobe.
A major housing development has been granted planning permission in Ballinrobe despite some local objections.
Mayo County Council has given the green light for the project at Friarsquarter West on the Convent Road on the outskirts of the town, subject to 21 conditions.
Permission has been granted for the construction of 28 homes.
After the council requested a revision of the housing mix, the development will consist of one four-bedroom property and a half-detached unit; three two-bedroom single-storey detached units; 14 three-bedroom, two-storey detached homes; four three-bedroom, two storey detached units; and eight two-bedroom, two-storey terraced type homes.
Council planners also felt the provision of public open space in the original application was inadequate and would result in undesirable public realms.
“In terms of quantitative standards, the scheme meets the public open space provision of 15%. However, the quality of the open space is questionable with narrow tracts of land to the west and east which are not suitably proportioned and therefore are unusable public areas and should not be considered as the percentage of public open space,” the council stated.
The applicant submitted a revised site layout plan omitting the tracts of public open space to the west and east.
A special development contribution is being applied with regard to the provision of a pedestrian crossing on Convent Road as part of the project.
There were a number of local objections to aspects of the project. There were concerns about the impact of traffic safety in the area and the nature of the houses proposed. It was felt that sewerage and water services were inadequate and that the development should not proceed due to traffic congestion and until a bypass in Ballinrobe is constructed. It was argued that the project would put a strain on local amenities and have a visual and social impact.
