'Huge concerns' over Lower Point Road housing plans in Dundalk

Councillors at the Dundalk Municipal District voiced what some called "huge concerns" over plans to build 44 new social homes on a site at the Lower Point Road, due to concerns over flooding.

The site in question was bought by Louth County Council for €6.2 million in 2006, through a loan that was subsequently paid by the Government at the end of 2023, under the condition that social housing be built on the site, with development to begin by the end of this year.

The site was one of a number of sites in Louth bought by the Council at the late stages of the Celtic Tiger, for which the Council held legacy land loans. The Government approved a scheme for dealing with the legacy land loans at the end of 2023, under the condition that social housing be built on the sites bought with the loans that it was repaying.

Senior Engineer Declan Grimes told the May meeting, that the development is part of the accelerated delivery programme, where they intend to construct 44 social housing units. Mr Grimes said that because the site is beside the Blackwater River, an Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA), the planning process would proceed through Part 10 planning, with An Bord Pleanála (ABP) making the decision.

Mr Grimes went on to say that the Council intends to submit an application to ABP in the next couple of weeks, and that the public and councillors will be able to make submissions as part of the independent process. He said that they are aware that the land is in land zoned Flood Risk A, but is also zoned existing residential. 

He said that they carried out a flood risk assessment on the lands and engaged a flood risk consultant who has carried out a justification test in accordance with the County Development Plan. The project was then passed to go ahead on the basis that the Council stays out of certain areas of the land that are susceptible to flooding, adding that the intention is to raise the ground levels on the site.

Mr Grimes said they are under a comittment with the Department to construct social houses on the land and if the houses aren't developed they are liable for the land loan legacy costs, adding that they hope to develop the site this year.

A number of councillors spoke on the matter. Cllr Maeve Yore was first to speak, voicing “huge concerns” about the plans. Cllr Yore requested to see the consultant's report and said that residents in Waterview and Wilton Green have huge concerns, saying that if floods happen, they will come to their houses now instead of where they are going at the minute. Cllr Yore also asked if there were any reports to say that the site was not suitable.

She said that people who have “huge local knowledge over decades” are saying that this is the wrong location for the development and that by raising the ground levels, it will impact the houses in Waterview and Point Road environs.

"None of us want to stop housing but have to put it in the proper areas", she added, further adding that she was in the area when the floods were in Cluan Enda and "I saw the floods in that field".

Cllr Marianne Butler said she wanted to echo some of Cllr Yore's concerns in relation to the development and said she wanted to know more about the Part 10 process, as it is a relatively new process. In a different set of circumstances she added "we'd be going through a Part 8 process and we'd be voting on it ourselves" as the did with housing in Muirhevnamor recently.

Cllr Butler voiced concerns regarding the flood zone, and that there was a policy objective in Development Plan, that no development takes place a minimum of 10 metres from the bank of any stream, river or water course, so. "This seems to be fairly close", she added.

Cllr Emma Coffey said she wanted to echo the same sentiments, highlighting that it was "a risk destination on two fronts – one in a 100 year river flooding, the Blackwater river runs adjacent, we've already seen that flooding", and was also in a one in a 200 year flooding risk area.

Cllr Coffey added that there would be no transport links, having "received confirmation from the national transport in the Oireachtais that absolutely in no circumstances is a public bus route going to be extended to the Lower Point Road, on the basis it's a dead end", with the nearest bus stop 2km away.

Cllr Robert Nash said he has serious concerns, "we've seen the flooding in Bay Estate this year. Highlighting the social housing at Halliday Mills, plans for social housing on Red Barns Road, Simon Community, Cllr Nash added, people are saying to him, “is there no where else they can build houses?”

Replying to the councillors, Declam Grimes said that there is a consultants report that has flood risk assessment that will be submitted as part of the application to ABP. He said that in terms of raising levels of field, they are cognisant of the River Blackwater, and are keeping substantial buffer distances. He added that they have received no reports to his knowledge to say the land is not suitable.

In terms of social housing in the area, he went on to say that it was purchased by Louth County Council with the intention of putting social houses on the site, and that they are developing houses across the county, eg in Louth Village, and not all of them have access to bus services.

Following further discussions, Director of Services, Social Development, Ger Murphy, said that if the housing is not built on the site, "we effectively owe the department €7.4 million."

Councillors were informed by Declan Grimes that a site notice would be erected to inform the public of the intention to build on the site, and that a planning notice will be published in the three local newspapers next week, adding that the public can then make submissions on the development to ABP.