Julianstown group seek development halt
An East Meath group has been given permission to challenge planning permission for a large Drogheda development, saying traffic, noise and air pollution in Julianstown are causing major concern to residents.
The High Court granted Protect East Meath Limited permission last Tuesday to challenge a decision of An Bord Pleanála to grant planning permission for a 250-unit development for Bryanstown, south of Drogheda.
The challenge was brought by Protect East Meath, an organisation aimed at ensuring the development in East Meath only takes place with strong environmental protections.
“Julianstown and District Community Association made a submission to An Bord Pleanála pointing out that there was already chronic traffic congestion on the main street of Julianstown giving rise noise levels in excess of recommended environmental quality levels and the likelihood of serious air pollution,” said Fred Logue, solicitor for Protect East Meath.
“Unfortunately, this submission was effectively ignored and no consideration was given to the effects of the serious pollution on children in Whitecross national school or on residents who live and work in the village”
The court challenge argues that neither the developer nor An Bord Pleanála gave any consideration to the environmental impacts on Julianstown that would result from extra traffic generated by the development.
EU law requires detailed environmental assessments to be carried out on the effects of large developments including an assessment of the effects on human health and in particular air pollution. Protect East Meath argues that these assessments were inadequate or not done at all.
The proposed development, which consists of 94 houses, 156 apartments and a childcare facility, would run to the rear of Millmount Abbey, and include communal gardens, and 363 parking spaces. The houses are mostly two or three bedrooms, but they add that most of them are two-bedroom apartments, as “first-time buyers who qualify for the Help to Buy scheme will underpin the demand”.
The 94 houses would comprise 12 two-storey, two-bedroom terraced houses; 68 two-storey, three-bedroom terraced houses and 14 two storey, three-bedroom semi-detached houses; and 156 duplex/apartments within eight three-storey blocks (comprising 138 two-bedroom apartments; ten three-bedroom apartments; and eight two-bedroom first/second floor duplex units).
Mr Logue pointed out that concerns about the serious health effects caused by heavy traffic are now well understood and it was a serious omission by the Developer and An Bord Pleanála not to examine the consequences for the village of Julianstown from increased traffic.
He added that there are already more than 20,000 vehicles a day pouring through the small village. This amount of traffic is normally accommodated by a dual carriage way and not a narrow residential street.
“Meath County Council has recently identified traffic from Drogheda and East Meath as the source of the problems and has confirmed that a Julianstown by-pass would save €80 million based on time savings alone.”