Location fears over Collon care centre

LOCAL RESIDENTS LODGE OBJECTION TO AN BORD PLEANALA OVER PLANS FOR NUA HEALTHCARE SERVICE FACILITY AT BRANAGAN’S CROSS AREA

OBJECTIONS have been lodged with An Bord Pleanala after Louth County Council gave permission for a new care centre at Branagan’s Cross, near Collon.

Nua Healthcare Service had been given permission for the overall change of use of a house in the locality from a dwelling to a residence (with 5 bedrooms) for persons with an intellectual or physical disability or mental illness and persons providing care for them.

They also sought retention permission for a sunroom and to convert the existing garage to habitable use.

Nua Healthcare say that there will be five users on the premises, with five staff during the day and a maximum of two at night.

‘ The site was selected following receipt of expressions of interest from the Louth/Meath/ Monaghan section of the HSE for Nua services to provide care in the community settings for both children and adults,’ they state in their application.

Day services for the users will be in Dublin/Wicklow or Kildare and they will brought there by care staff.

They state that ‘ this building type is very new and there are no specific studies or reports on best practice.’

But the application received objections, both to the council and an Bord Pleanala, citing a number of factors.

One concerns the road infrastructure in the area with ‘several’ sizeable business premises on the road and in excess of 30 dwellings between Branagan’s Cross and Drumgoole’s Cross. There is also a local GAA club and the school. It is feared ‘change of use would increase traffic and the entrance is on the brow of a hill on a narrow country road. This is already a dangerous location.’

Glenmore Residents Association say that the plan is a controvention of the Louth County Development Plan, adding there is ‘poor accessibility, social exclusion and intrusion on residential amenity’.

It’s added that the house concerned was built in 2016 and not occupied and the application ‘should not be seen as being an application to re-use an established use.’

Under development plan guidelines, it’s also felt that more populated areas like Dundalk, Drogheda, Ardee and Dunleer are better suited.

A decision is now expected on June 20th next.