Mayo housing development given full planning permission in less than 100 days despite planner's concerns

A 15-unit housing development in Westport has been granted full planning permission without an appeal less than 100 days after the application was first lodged with Mayo County Council.

Kirsten and Patrick Wulz were granted full planning permission by Mayo County Council to develop a 15-unit housing development at Westlands, Westport on January 5, just 97 days after the application was lodged at the end of September.

The swift turnaround in granting planning permission came despite local residents lodging an objection and council planners expressing concern regarding the housing mix on the 0.4 hectare site located on the Quay Road in Westport.

Council planners had sought further information from the applicants after expressing concerns regarding the terrace nature of some of the units on the site which is adjacent to the existing Westlands estate.

If a request for further information is sought in a planning application, the applicants have up to six months to respond and the council have another four weeks to make a decision.

However, following an intervention from Catherine O'Connell, Mayo County Council’s Director of Services with responsibility for planning, planning permission was granted on November 25 last without the need for further information being submitted.

The application was subsequently granted full planning permission on January 5 last after an appeal was not lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála within the four week limit. 

READ: Concerns raised over centralisation and delays in Mayo planning system

The development designed by Westport-based architect Paul Roddy, consists of one two-storey four-bed detached units, five two-storey four-bed terrace, eight two-storey three-bed semi-detached and one two-storey three-bed detached along with associated development works to include pedestrian and vehicular access to the existing Westlands housing estate.

The Westlands Residents Association lodged an objection with Mayo County Council on November 3 expressing concern regarding the application on the basis that it will interfere with their estate boundary and walls as well as their recreational areas and pose new traffic hazards for residents and children.

“We object to the excessive number of proposed houses, into a very small area, without any planned access except via the existing Westlands estate. Apart from the building issues, traffic will become a long term unsolvable problem for residents,” the concerned residents wrote in a letter signed by up to a dozen residents.

In the planners report submitted on November 20, planners recommended that the applicant provide further information including a detailed site layout plan of the proposed development. The report stated that the Planning Authority is largely satisfied with the layout proposed, 'although the proposal for terraced housing is at odds with this location so removed from the town centre'.

“A better mix of detached and semi-detached will be sought via advice offered as part of a further information request,” the report read.

However, after reviewing the further information request, Ms McConnell, stated that 'the mix is appropriate for a serviced site' and the site density appeared to be 'reasonable'.

She added that issues can be addressed by reason of conditions to be agreed prior to commencement of the development and asked the planners to prepare the relevant conditions to go with a grant of permission.

The following day, Mayo County Council granted planning permission for the development subject to 28 conditions and full planning was granted following the absence of an appeal on January 5, 2026.