Material contravention for Lodge Road development approved for second time

Material contravention for Lodge Road development approved for second time


Neill O’Neill

A MATERIAL contravention which will pave the way for a large residential development near the Lodge Road/Castlebar Road junction was approved by Westport Town Council last week.
The residential scheme is part of a larger development planned by local developer Brendan Byrne, which includes commercial properties at another section of the site, and this was the second time a material contravention for this same development was passed by the members of Westport Town Council. Their vote to approve it last October later failed after an administrative anomaly that had gone unnoticed brought the process to its knees on the final day that it could be approved.
In a letter circulated to the members of the Council on February 6, Westport Town Manager, Mr Peter Hynes, outlined that on October 29, 2008, Mr Brendan Byrne submitted a planning application for the demolition of an existing habitable dwelling and for the construction of a mixed-use residential scheme (including residential creche and gym) arranged in three blocks  of four storeys in height, and with a gross floor area of 8,135 sq metres, at a site of 1.81 hectares located at the Lodge Road/ N5 junction, in the townland of Carrowbeg.
The site is partially situated in an area zoned industrial and residential/commercial in the existing Westport Development Plan, and a material contravention was required in order for the project to go ahead. The letter also states the Town Manager’s belief that the proposed development should be granted planning permission.
Two submissions were received by the Council in relation to the proposal, with the main issues raised being the height of the buildings, the location of the bin storage areas, insufficient landscaping, the need for an environmental impact statement and traffic concerns. There was also a proposal to include allotments in the plan and a suggestion that the site has a history of dumping/quarrying. 
In relation to these, the letter from Peter Hynes states that the roof type has been changed and reduced in height, and that in the event of planning permission being granted the bin storage area will be moved. However, the Council does not share the concern about landscaping or allotments, and says that there is no requirement for an environmental impact statement because the closest recorded monument is 2.5km away from the site. The letter also states that the Council has no record, ‘written or otherwise’, of dumping on the site. Under questioning, Peter Hynes further stated that the Council had trawled through the records and memories of staff going back over 40 years, which was ‘due-diligence’ in relation to the dumping/quarrying suggestion.
The Council did agree with the submission in relation to traffic, and the letter states: “This planning application has been assessed and designed to the requirements and satisfaction of the Road Design Office of Mayo County Council. If constructed, the road realignment, revised junction, new footpaths and cycle lanes will greatly enhance vehicular and pedestrian safety.”
The concerns of the councillors related to the visual impact that the development may have on the main approach road to Westport, with Cllr Margaret Adams asking that with all the available land in Westport, is there really a need to put houses on top of each other? Many of the councillors also wondered why a material contravention and large development were required before a necessary job could begin to improve the Lodge Road, and Cllr Dave Keating said that the monument on Sheeaune Hill is less than 2.5km from the site.
Cllr Brendan Mulroy added that the people who would potentially purchase units on the site had to be a consideration, and posed the ‘million dollar question’: “If this application fails will the road realignment not be done?” Cllr Myles Staunton also wanted answers on this and Peter Hynes told the chamber that the works in question would require the acquisition of lands and funding, and that he could not see a scenario where the investment and resources required would be available to the Council in the short term.
A vote was then taken, with a two-thirds majority needed to pass the material contravention, and eight councillors went in favour of it, with Cllr Myles Staunton the only dissenting voice.