by Louise Doyle

PLANNING permission given the green light for a major apartments development in Letterkenny has been appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála by concerned residents.

Donegal County Council granted the go-ahead to applicant PJ McDermott for the construction of two residential buildings, consisting of six two-bedroom apartments in the first building and nine two-bedroom apartments in the second building at the junction of
College Farm Road and Glencar Road.

Residents of College Farm Road had lodged a number of written submissions to Donegal County Council, detailing their concerns about the size and density of the development, and the dangers, they said, it posed with an increased traffic volume in a very residential area.

These submissions, they say, have fallen on deaf ears when Donegal County Council granted the planning permission in July.

Eight residents from Glencar Road and College Farm Road have lodged an appeal with An Coimisiún Pleanála on a number of grounds, including, they say, that “Donegal County Council failed to justify the scale and density of development granted permission in an area designated as an established development situated in a peripheral location outside of the town centre and the designated target area of the town for compact growth”.

REGRESSIVE ACT

The grounds of appeal further state: “The clearance of the site of all trees and vegetation was a regressive act of environmental vandalism.

“The Planning Authority failed to acknowledge the environmental consequences of the loss of these trees.”

The residents’ appeal also outlines their concerns that the proposed development would “result in an over development of a limited site area, is excessive in density, scale and height, for a zoned established development area, which is designated as a high amenity landscape area”.

It adds: “The proposed development results in a poor substandard design that would materially undermine the streetscape character of this designated high amenity area, and would be visually obtrusive and visually incongruous at a prominent and landmark location in the streetscape and would materially injure the amenity character of this established residential area and would materially contravene the development plan objectives for targeting compact growth to designated areas, as set out in the development plan.”

In their appeal, the residents also cite that the Council Planning Report identified that the proposal required a fundamental redesign, which did not happen.

“The decision to grant permission is difficult to understand, given the serious planning objections raised in the first instance, which were not addressed.”

The residents also state that the proposed access to the site from College Farm Road does not form part of the subject planning application.

“The proposed entrance shown on the plans is location at a position where there are inadequate sight lines to either side of the entrance, thereby creating a significant traffic hazard.”