District chairman: Gorey social housing plans set back after Bord Pleanála decision
GOREY has lost out on 30 new social houses because of recent planning decisions, the cathaoirleach of Gorey Municipal District Cllr Joe Sullivan has said.
He explained that Wexford County Council was expecting to acquire 22 homes for social housing in the Gannon Properties development of 219 houses at Creagh, but it was recently refused permission by An Bord Pleanála. A further eight social houses would have been acquired in the Trinity Homes proposal for 82 houses at Gorey Hill, but this development was refused by the County Council.
In addition, Cllr Sullivan said that the delay in granting funding for ten new local authority homes at Baile Eoghain will set back this project by over a year. ‘That takes 40 houses out of the current projections,’ he said. ‘The question I have is, what does Wexford County Council’s housing section do to fill the gap left by these planning decisions? We were told at a meeting that the Council could seek to have its portion of the housing in the Gannon Properties development built early in the project.’
‘What is disturbing about the Kilnahue project is the Council had earmarked some of the development levies from that for the footpath from Kilnahue Lane to P&H Doyle,’ he added. ‘Is that now going to be stalled further in view of the fact that planning permission has been stalled by Bord Pleanála? That is of huge concern.’
Cllr Sullivan said that there is now a huge shortage of housing in the Gorey area. ‘While I’m aware there were objectors to the projects at Creagh, I feel that with good planning and a spirit of cooperation, that these issues could be overcome,’ he said. ‘What’s of huge concern is there are no County Council backed housing projects under construction in the Gorey area.’
Bord Pleanála refused the 219 house development saying that its housing density was too low; some of the houses were proposed for land zoned as open space and amenity; that Kilnahue Lane needed to be upgraded first; and the project needed to establish a better sense of place.