Bord Pleanála refuse planning permission for Ballyhaunis couple

Bord PleanΡla refuse planning permission for Ballyhaunis couple


Anton McNulty

AN BORD PleanΡla have overturned a Mayo County Council decision to grant planning permission of a dwelling house for a Ballyhaunis couple after an objection was lodged by the National Roads Authority.
An Bord PleanΡla (ABP) ruled that planning permission be refused on the grounds the development would endanger public safety.
Mayo County Council had granted planning permission for the construction of a house by James Walsh and Michelle Conlon on family lands at Grallagh, Ballyhaunis with an entrance onto the N83. The decision to grant permission was given despite recommendations by the Council’s planning report recommending refusal based on access onto the N83.
The NRA lodged an appeal with An Bord PleanΡla on the grounds the proposal is contrary to the development plan policy which dictates that no new access points or increased traffic from existing accesses along National Routes outside the 60kph speed limit shall be facilitated.
They stated that the proposal will increase traffic movements onto the N83 and noted safety concerns regarding traffic safety on national routes and the need to control the number of accesses onto such.

No new access
In response, Seamus Owens Design, Planning and Engineering on behalf of the applicants stated that they proposed to use an existing entrance with no new access to be created onto the N83. They also noted that the planning guidelines provides for ‘exceptional circumstances’ and the proposal would meet such circumstances due to no alternative locations.
Mayo County Council argued that the N83, which runs from the N17 just south of Knock Airport for 45km towards Tuam where it rejoins the N17, has the traffic volume of a Local Primary Road but this was not accepted by the NRA.
In his report, the ABP Inspector Colin McBride stated the main issues related to access from the N83 and explained that he had concerns about the alignment of the road and does not provide for a sufficient level of visibility in either direction with this stretch of road.
“In this regard I would consider that the proposed development would endanger public safety by reason of traffic hazard because the site is located alongside the National Secondary Road N83 at a point where available sight distances are sub-standard,” he stated.
He recommended that planning be refused on the grounds the development would endanger public safety and his recommendations were accepted by the board.