THE growing trend of developers buying up established houses on half acre sites around Letterkenny and replacing them with large scale apartments has been slammed by members of Letterkenny Town Council.
Members have voiced their disgust at such developments which were totally out of character with the areas and were being 'foisted upon' local residents without their consent. At Monday night's Town Council meeting members heard plans for 19 apartments at Beechwood Road had been approved while a planning application has been lodged for 46 apartments at the junction of College Farm Road and Glencar Road.
A loophole in the Town Development Plan means the way is open for major apartment developments on such sites but members have now called for this to be stopped as part of a review of the plan. The loophole for established developments in the Town Plan does not specify if a house is being demolished what should replace it.
BEECHWOOD
Councillor Victor Fisher criticised the decision by planners to give the go ahead to McEleney Construction Ltd for 19 apartments at Beechwood Road. The decision is to be appealed to An Bord Pleanála by local residents, many of whom have lived in the area for over thirty years.
They are opposing the development on the grounds it is totally out of character with the area, will be visually intrusive, will cause major traffic problems and also create social problems in one of the quietest areas of the town. Residents successfully appealed to An Bord Pleanála against a decision of Letterkenny Town Council to allow 39 apartments on the site last year.
'DISGUSTED'
Councillor Fisher said he was 'disgusted' at the decision and said many people in the area felt councillors had let them down.
"I can't understand how this planning permission was given. This development is totally unsuitable for the area. It is on a dangerous junction There is a dangerous trend developing here of developers buying up established houses on half acre sites and then putting in plans for apartments that are being foisted upon the settled communities," Cllr Fisher said.
Agreeing Cllr Dessie Larkin said the planning loophole in the Town Development Plan that allowed for such developments needed to be closed. He called on the Council's Central Planning Unit to tackle the problem immediately before some areas were turned into 'small villages'.
"The problem is with the Town Plan relating to established developments. It is not specified if a house is being demolished what should replace it. We thought a bungalow would be replaced or extended with a house but there is a loophole and developers are using it. I can't fault people for wanting to make a buck but this is totally out of character in established developments," he said.
"I wouldn't put a Barbie Doll House at the College Farm Road junction. The plan is crazy and anybody who knows the area will realise how narrow the junction is and it wouldn't sustain the extra traffic. I'm sure the road engineers will take a close look at this," he said.
ARE PLANNERS LISTENING?
Cllr Jim Lynch said he wondered at times if planners were listening at all to the concerns raised by councillors about such plans.
"We raised our concerns here but planning has been given for the Beechwood development. We have seen outrageous prices being paid for second hand houses around the town and then they are knocked down and to be replaced by apartments.
"There are plans for Glencar Road and Beechwood but this could happen all over the town and it is ridiculous. It is totally unfair to have a block of flats beside areas where people have lived for generations and it needs to be stopped immediately," he said.
Cllr Neil Clarke said the loophole in the Town Plan had to be reviewed immediately while Cllr Jimmy Harte said people expected better foresight from the council.
"We're going to have serious traffic problems if these type of developments are allowed to continue. You can't have such developments in the middle of quiet residential areas where people have lived for over 40 years," he said.
Cllr Damien Blake supported the call for an urgent review of the plan to tighten up the loophole which allowed for these developments.
Cllr Gerry McMonagle said the planning loophole needed to be closed immediately.
"The decision to pass planning for Beechwood is crazy and the College Farm Road plan should be stopped before it gets any further," he said.
