A MAJOR housing development in Letterkenny – the largest in the town for many years – has been given the green light, despite numerous objections from residents.
The large scale residential development consists of 260 residential units, comprising 100 dwellings and 160 apartments at Glencar Irish and Glencar Scotch.
The plans, lodged by PJ McDermott in August of this year, also include a neighbourhood centre containing a shop unit and a creche, and the construction of two new roads from county road L-1174-1 (Grange Road).
Connection to existing public services, play areas, car parking and cycle paths are also included in plans.
A number of submissions were lodged by residents in the area, objecting to the proposed development on the grounds of excessive over developmentdensity, traffic and road safety issues, and a loss of privacy due to elevated site levels combined with two-storey dwellings and apartment blocks.
On December 19, Donegal County Council granted planning permission to the development, with 39 conditions.
Prior to the commencement of development, the applicant is to continue to liaise with Donegal County Council Road Design – Active Travel Section in relation to the progression of the Circular Road Active Travel Scheme, insofar as it relates to works proposed at the Glencar Road, Grange Road and Dr McGinley Road junction.
To ensure the timely provision of services, the development is to be carried out on a phased basis, and prior to the first occupation of any dwellings a Stage 3 Safety Audit is to be undertaken. Copies are to be submitted to the Planning Authority and the Executive Engineer (Roads) for the written agreement of the Executive Engineer (Roads). All findings and recommendations of the safety audit are to be fully implemented in order to cater for the orderly development of the area.
The dwellings subject of the planning permission are to be used as permanent houses and apartments only and shall not be used for the purposes of holiday homes.
Such holiday home use to be commenced only if authorised by a separate grant of permission, planners have stated.
A further condition states that prior to the commencement of development, the applicant shall submit to the Planning Authority, for written agreement, a final Construction Management Plan, which provides for the location and details of all temporary construction access to the site.
The applicant must also ensure that mitigation measures set out in the Ecological Impact Assessment Report, Natura Impact Statement, Badger Conservation Plan and Dark Sky Lighting Plan submitted with the application and received by the Planning Authority August 6, 2025, must be implemented in full in the interest of clarity and and the protection of the environment during the construction and operational phases of the development.
Should archaeological material be found during the course of monitoring, the archaeologist may have work on the site stopped, pending a decision as to how best to deal with the archaeology.
