Midleton planning row delays plans for 270 new homes
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A planning row in Midleton has seen proposals for over 270 new homes northeast of the town put on hold, after both the developer and locals made an appeal to An Bord Pleanála.
Castle Rock Homes Ltd was granted planning permission by Cork County Council last month for the large-scale residential development at Broomfield West, which will incorporate hundreds of homes, a creche and a community-use building.
As part of the conditions set out by Cork County Council, 22 of the homes at the northern end of the site were omitted from the planning permission with public open space ordered to be placed there instead.
The council said this was to provide “quality and useable public open space and in order to minimise visual impact on the wider landscape”.
On behalf of the developers, McCutcheon Halley planners said the decision to omit 8% of the planned housing units from the development was “disappointing”.
“The site at Broomfield provides the ideal opportunity to provide affordable housing that will benefit from its proximity to the town centre and the Midleton Train Station,” they wrote.
“Despite this ideal location, the conditions attached to the permission have included a crippling level of development contributions, €3,283,080.30 when general, special and supplementary contributions are accounted, for a scheme that has been reduced to 246 units by condition.”
They accused the council of lacking clarity, being inconsistent in their assessment and unnecessarily removing the units that would result in a “significant redesign that would not achieve the provision of additional open space”.
It asked that An Bord Pleanála remove this condition from the planning permission.
Several local residents also wrote to the council expressing concerns about the plans, with a number of them now appealing the matter to An Bord Pleanála.
Concerns raised include issues with the light and privacy impact on nearby residents, structural risks and flooding, and infrastructure in the area.
One local wrote: “The traffic levels through Broomfield ‘village’ are already significant during peak hours.” They said that adding so many more properties to the area will result in further tailbacks and pressure on the roads system in the area.
“The Broomfield area is lacking in amenities and services and this proposed addition of 272 additional residential units only serves to turn the area into a large contiguous housing estate with the minimum provision of green areas/recreational space,” they added.
An Bord Pleanála has set a target date of August 26 for its decision. However, earlier this month it again issued an apology for the ongoing delay in determining cases, saying it is working currently to “substantively clear this backlog in 2024”.