Apartment block plan for ‘Christmas trees site’ withdrawn
A proposal by Wexford District Council to build social housing apartments on a plot of land in Belvedere Road known as the ‘Christmas trees site’, has been withdrawn after councillors and local residents complained that the design was unsuitable for the area.
Seven local authority apartments were to be built in a four-storey block beside the Courthouse car park but Cllr. George Lawlor told a meeting that he was ‘vehemently opposed’ to the plan as it stood.
‘The plan is for a three to four story building with seven units on the lower end of the site. This is absolutely unsuitable in my opinion. This type of accommodatin doesn’t work in Wexford. We had it recently in King Street where a three-storey block was opposed. A maximum of two storeys on the eastern end of the site would be okay. The notion that we would have a three to four storey building on that site is ludicruous. We would be creating a problem of anti-social behaviour’, he said.
Housing executive Padraig O’Gorman said it would need to be seven units across three storeys because of the rise in the site.
Cllr. David Hynes said there was strong opposition to the proposed development among local residents who held a meeting recently. Cllr. Lisa McDonald said she attended the meeting and was of the opinion that this type of development doesn’t have a place in this town.
‘I am absolutely in favour of us building social housing but this is the wrong building and the wrong design. I don’t think it should on that site. I won’t support it’, said Cllr. McDonald. Mr. O’ Gorman reminded councillors that this was the third social housing scheme that they have not supported, along with apartments in King Street and houses for Traveller families in Ballyhine, Barntown. Cllr. Lawlor said the members had supported a number of housing projects including the one currently under construction in Slippery Green. ‘We can’t try and solve one problem and create another. Three to four storey apartment blocks are not suitable for Wexford town and that’s it’. Cllr. Hynes said people are very worried about the height of it. ‘It will stand out like a sore thumb. And the traffic in that area is already leading to problems’, he said. A few days after the Council meeting, Cllr. Lawlor said he had a further discussion with Chief Executive Tom Enright who agreed to withdraw the proposal.