Residents vote to appeal decision on Wicklow Arms
DEVELOPMENT ‘NOT IN KEEPING’ WITH DELGANY
Residents of Delgany gathered at Kilian House in Greystones last Monday night, where they decided to appeal to An Bord Pleanala regarding plans for the Wicklow Arms site.
Plans approved last week by Wicklow County Council include the development of 12 town houses, 10 apartments and two retail units and three office units, as well as the demolition of old single-storey farmer cottages. Cruslim Properties Ltd are the developers named in the plans.
The cottages currently house a photography studio and printers and would be replaced by a landscaped car park. Access to the development would be through Bellevue Court.
Cllr Grainne McLoughlin said that there was a large crowd at the meeting on Monday evening.
‘ They have no problem with development but want it to suit the village,’ she said, adding that the proposed development is not in keeping with Delgany.
Some of the issues raised at the meeting included access for houses through Bellevue Court, which residents said will pose dangers at a junction coming down from the estate.
‘ There is no room for paths as it is, I don’t know how they’re allowing this,’ said Cllr McLoughlin. ‘ There are poor sightlines. The suggestion was to move the stop sign forwards, but that doesn’t help with sightlines.’
She said that road users in the area include walkers and those on horseback.
Cllr McLoughlin said that the height of the development is too high and people are not happy with the demolition of cottages from the 1800s, or trees on the site.
‘I’m not against the development of the Wicklow Arms. I would like to see it developed, but not like this,’ said Cllr McLoughlin.
The Wicklow Arms public house is a protected structure and the demolition works do not relate to any aspect of the protected part. The planned development includes a mix of semi-detached and detached three-bedroom houses; two one-bedroom apartments and eight two-bedroom apartments.
The commercial element of the scheme includes redevelopment of the Wicklow Arms including alterations to provide for a change of use from public house to restaurant.
A previous application by Cruslim Properties was rejected by planners as ‘incomplete’.
Submissions can be made to An Bord Pleanala until Thursday, October 27.