Mayo County Council grant planning for Westport housing development

MAYO County Council has granted planning permission for the development of a 16 unit housing development on the outskirts of Westport.

Soir Siar Investments Limited, a Dublin-based company were granted planning permission to construct a housing development consisting of 16 dwellings in single and two storey and detached and semi-detached configurations on the site of the existing West Vets building.

During the planning process, the applicants submitted revised plans for the site on the West Road to increase the number of units to 26 but this was rejected by Mayo County Council who approved the original proposals.

The proposed development on a 0.900 hectare site located along the R335 West Road will see the demolition of the current West Vets building to make way for two detached two-bedroomed bungalows; two detached four-bedroomed two storey units; ten semi detached three-bedroomed two storey units and two detached three-bedroomed two storey units.

Permission was granted by Mayo County Council despite council planners expressing some concerns over vehicular site access and visibility along the R335 as well as the site layout of the development.

A meeting between the planning agent of the applicant as well as senior planners with Mayo County Council also took place where the revisions to the site layout including overall design and housing mix was discussed, along with ways to lessen the 'extent of retaining features, most especially along the northern site boundary'.

Revised Proposal

An agreement was reached with the applicant to extend the response time to the further information request but a further three months. On the last day of this extended period, the applicant proposed 'a major redesign' of the proposed scheme to increase the scale of the development to consist of 26 units.

The revised scheme submitted proposed the replacement of the four detached units and two semi-detached units along the northern boundary, with a terrace of buildings consisting of one three-bed dwelling house, and seven three-storey buildings containing two-bed apartments at ground floor level with four-bed duplex units above.

The revised proposals submitted also proposed the replacement of the two detached units and eight semi detached units along the western site boundary, with one three-unit terrace of three-bed units; one four-unit terrace of four-bed units and one three-unit terrace comprising two four-bed units and one four-bed unit.

The council planners stated that while the revisions proposed 'go some way' in softening the visual impact of retaining walls proposed along the northern site boundary, it was considered that the increase in the number of units proposed from 16 to 26 was 'excessive'.

They also added that the mix of units proposed does not result in 'an appropriate mix for a site on the edge of the town centre' and would be contrary to the objectives of the Westport Local Area Plan.

Due to the late submission of the revised plans, Mayo County Council planners stated that there was no facility under the Planning Regulations to see further clarification or discussion in relation to the residential mix.

“Therefore it is considered that the most appropriate recommendation in terms of the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, is to recommend that permission be granted the 16 unit development as initially sought by the applicant,” the planner's report read.

Objection

There was one objection to the proposed development submitted by a neighbouring landowner who stated that the applicant 'does not give a crap' about the local community and questioned who will be moving into the proposed development.

“I hope you are not naive enough to think that these units will only be occupied by single male foreign nationals. That will absolutely ruin those areas. This proposed development is on the greenway where single white females jog day and night. I have a B&B, tourists walk into town past this place. Please don't ruin that,” he stated.

Planning permission was granted for the development subject to 21 planning conditions.