70-apartment plan for town
PERMISSION SOUGHT FOR COMPLEXES AT PARNELL STREET AND THE FAYTHE
A DEVELOPER has lodged ambitious plans with Wexford County Council for the construction of a total of 70 apartments at two town centre sites in The Faythe and Parnell Street.
LHM Property Holdings, headed up by Martin Sinnott, is hopeful of obtaining permission to construct 24 two-bedroom apartments and an underground car park on a vacant site almost opposite The Swan Bar in The Faythe, while just down the road they’ve lodged a second application for a further 46 apartments and underground car park in the old Wexford Co-op yard on the top of Parnell Street.
Residents in the area have raised some concerns relating to the project surrounding increased traffic, height and density and the potential to cause structural damage to the existing dwellings, most of which are quite old.
Mr Sinnott said that he expects the planning process to take in the region of six months and, should they be successful, he’d hope to ‘get to work straight away’ on ‘bringing much needed new housing stock to Wexford town’. FULL STORY ON PAGE 3
CONCERNS have been expressed by residents in the south end of town after planning applications were submitted to build a total of 70 apartments complete with underground/basement parking in two separate developments in close proximity to each other.
Blackwater based LHM Property Holdings Ltd, headed up by well-known developer Martin Sinnott, has lodged ambitious plans with Wexford County Council to construct 24 two bedroom apartments with basement parking within a tight space almost opposite The Swan Bar in The Faythe and stretching down to the back of Seaview Avenue on Trinity Street.
Just down the street, a second application has been lodged for a further 40 two-bedroom apartments and six three-bed apartments, again with underground/basement parking. The entrance for this development is via the former Wexford Co-op yard at the top of Parnell Street. The site currently consists of derelict sheds and outbuildings which are to be torn down under the plans.
Given the density of the area, unsurprisingly residents of the Faythe have expressed concerns over the proposed development. Local resident Susan Rea lodged an official objection on the grounds of the density and height of the development, the the additional traffic it would generate in the area, concerns over the underground car park and the potential for vibrations and structural damage to existing dwellings in The Faythe.
‘The Faythe cannot handle a development of this scale,’ Ms Rea said in her objection, stating that developments on this site had been turned down on two previous occasions by An Bord Pleanála. ‘The Faythe is a very old part of town and is steeped in history,’ she said. ‘The houses are old and will not withstand the vibrations and heavy machinery that this development will need. When the new water pipes were being put down in the Faythe, our sitting room ceiling caved in. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.’
‘Can we not learn from our mistakes and preserve out town and its history? We have ample housing and don’t need apartment blocks dumped in our historic town. There are ample new developments on the outskirts of town to cater for new families.’
Several objections were also lodged regarding the Parnell Street plans. Among the concerns from local residents were the height and scale of the development, that it would overlook existing properties, traffic and that it could interfere with a historic structure, in the form of Taylor’s Castle Wall to the rear of the site.
Local business owner Damian Lynch of The Faythe Guesthouse was particularly concerned on the last point, stating in his objection that it was a big selling point for his business, particularly with overseas visitors. ‘Some years ago, two engineers had informed me that if the ground is disturbed, the chances of the wall coming down are very high, and I’d like to know what provisions are being made to protect this structure during the build and the persons underneath it.’
These were concerns shared by local Fine Gael councillor John Hegarty, who said: ‘I think local residents are extremely concerned over the scale of the proposed development and issues like traffic etc. One big concern though is the unique history in that part of Wexford that is under threat. I don’t think we can lose these areas that make Wexford unique. Given the outcry we’ve had recently over the 1798 Centre, I think this is more important because it’s actual tangible evidence of our past. At the moment, the wall and Gothic tower is a hidden gem, but I’d like to see the development maintain it and open it up for people to see. I’ve no objection to the site being developed. It’s fallen into bad shape. But I’d like to see it not only developed, but enhanced and opened up for more people to see part of our history.’
While concerns over the amount of apartments planned and the heights of these new complexes are to the fore in objections, developer Martin Sinnott said that they are working with the bare minimum density that they are allowed under the National Development Plan.
‘Unfortunately, under the National Development Plan, they want higher densities in urban areas,’ he explained. ‘From the planning side of things, we’ve kept the densities to the minimum density as per the National Development Plan. Developers have no interest in squeezing in extra units, but unfortunately, we have to work with the rules that are in place.’
‘For the site in The Faythe in particular, what we had in mind would be maybe retired people who are moving back into town or downsizing and are hoping to get a nice apartment in a small secure community within walking distance to town. We feel that these apartments might suit that market.’
‘In relation to Parnell Street, we’re talking 40 apartments that will be modern and finished to the highest standard. Pre-Covid, we had people looking to move more into towns and buy apartments. Whether that market will be there post-Covid, I don’t know.’
Given the current shortfall in one and two bedroom housing and the fact that 75% of Wexford County Council’s housing list is currently awaiting this type of accommodation, it’s likely that the council may be interested in acquiring some of the properties for their own housing stock.
Mr Sinnott said that concerns over the historic structure to the rear of the Parnell Street site have been factored into their plans.
‘We are aware of it,’ he said. ‘We have been very sensitive to that in that we’ve set the buildings away from the wall to ensure it’s protected and it will be available to see for centuries to come.’
Mr Sinnott said that pre-planning meetings between representatives Wexford County Council and the architect assigned to both projects, Fergus Flanagan Architects, have been very positive and that he’d be hopeful that they’ll be able to move forward with both developments. He currently estimates that it will take in the region of six months to come through the planning phase and, should they be granted permission, they are keen to get started right away.
‘We’d get to work straight away,’ he said. ‘The funding is in place and we’d be looking forward to bringing much needed new housing stock to Wexford town.’