An Bord Pleanála give go ahead for 272 homes in Ardee

An Bord Pleanála (ABP) has given the go ahead for a Strategic Housing Development (SHD) in Ardee that will see the construction of 272 new homes.

The Ardee Partnership has been granted planning permission for the development that will see 206 houses and 66 apartments built, along with a creche at Bridgegate, Rathgory and Mulladrillen, Drogheda Road, Ardee on a site of approximately c.13.03ha.

The planned development comprise 50 two-bed houses; 145 three-bed houses; and 11 four-bed houses. It also comprises 66 duplex apartments consisting of 17 one-bed apartment; 24 two-bed apartments; and 25 three-bed apartments.

Included in the development are a series of communal open spaces, including a main 3.6ha public park in the north of the site with two pedestrian/cyclist links from the west via Bridgegate Green and from the north via Hale Street, and two public open spaces forming a linear park.

The planning application includes provisions for the realignment of the Rathgory Tributary with a new landscaped riparian corridor, two vehicular crossings, and one pedestrian/ cyclist crossing; car parking spaces; bicycle parking; and associated site works.

The SHD pre-application consultation for a development of 278 residential units was undertaken on 4 December 2020, with ABP issuing an opinion on 14 December 2020 that the proposal required further consideration and amendment. 

The planning application for the development was lodged with ABP in March 2022 with ABP granting conditional planning permission for the SHD on 15 August.

SHD's are no longer a method of seeking planning permission for large developments. Since 2022, Large-scale Residential Developments (LRDs) replace the previous Strategic Housing Development (SHD) process where applications went to An Bord Pleanála for determination.

Through the LRD process, the local planning authority now makes the decision on the planning application. 

The process is as follows: An LRD Meeting Request is made with the local planning authority as part of the process when seeking planning permission for an LRD.

Following the receipt of LRD consultation request, the planning authority is required to facilitate a consultation meeting with the applicant within four weeks of the date receipt of such a request.

Following the LRD Meeting, there is a period of four weeks for the planning authority to issue an LRD opinion on whether the proposals constitute a reasonable basis for submitting a planning application on the LRD proposals. This LRD opinion is valid for six months.

A planning application must then be submitted within six months of receipt of an LRD opinion. The developer must make the application documentation available for public viewing on a dedicated website set up for this purpose.

This is aimed at enhancing transparency and public participation in the LRD process.