400-house Carcur plan hits a hurdle
A CONSTRUCTION company’s proposal to build a massive multi-million euro housing development on the old Cement Roadstone Holdings (CRH) site in Carcur has run into difficulties at the first hurdle after An Bord Pleanála ruled that there ‘is not a reasonable basis for an application’.
However, it is still open to William Neville & Sons to proceed with a full planning application to the board for the 400-house project.
The Wexford company put details of the development before An Bord Pleanála in a pre-application process as part of the new fast-tracking Strategic Housing Development (SHD) regulations introduced early this year.
Under the new system, developers hoping to construct large-scale schemes of more than 100 houses can bypass the local authority and make their case directly to An Bord Pleanála, which has nine weeks to decide if there is ‘a reasonable basis’ for the lodging of a full application to the board at the beginning a mandatory 16-week planning process period with submissions from the public, councillors and the local authority.
William Neville & Sons sought is seeking the go-ahead for 387 residential units including 182 houses and 205 apartments along with two creche facilities and 720 car parking spaces on the old CRH site at the Point of Park beside the Slaney Estuary on the outskirts of Wexford town. The site is zoned ‘mixed residential by Wexford County Council. The proposal is one of the biggest residential housing developments to emerge in Wexford in a decade.
But after examining the Wexford company’s proposal, An Bord Pleanála ruled that there is not a reasonable basis for an application. Wexford County Council and Irish Water were parties to the pre-application process.
The reasons behind An Bord Pleanála decisions in SHD pre-application cases are made available only to the parties directly involved and are not made public.
A group called Future-Proof Wexford has welcomed the appeals board’s preliminary decision, saying there are many reasons why it doesn’t make sense to develop the Carcur site as anything other than a natural amenity for the people of Wexford.
‘Indeed, the fact that the Council has chosen to zone the area ‘mixed residential’ is simply illogical’, said a spokesman. ‘ The proposed site is completely lacking in any critical infrastructure, there is no proper connection to the town and there is unquestionably a serious flood risk.’