Louth County Council reactivates plan for housing at Lower Point Road
Louth County Council has reapplied to An Coimisiún Pleanála for approval for a development of 44 houses at the Lower Point Road in Dundalk, three months after the High Court quashed An Bord Pleanála’s 2024 decision to approve the development
Three months after the High Court quashed An Bord Pleanála’s (now known as An Coimisiún Pleanála) 2024 decision to approve a development of 44 houses at Lower Point Road, Louth County Council has reactivated it’s application for the development with An Coimisiún Pleanála.
Louth County Council initially sought approval in June 2024 from An Bord Pleanála for a housing development of 44 houses on a 1.5ha site in the townland of Point, at Lower Point Road, Dundalk, Co. Louth .
It was an application for approval made under Section 177(AE) of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (local authority development requiring appropriate assessment).
The proposed 44 houses comprised three, two storey, four-bed houses; 10, two storey, three-bed houses; 21, two storey, two-bed houses and ten, single storey two-beds houses.
The development also included the construction of a new access road onto Waterview residential estate to the east; 47 car parking spaces, including both in-curtilage and on-street parking; cycle parking, hard and soft landscaping including public open spaces, and private gardens; boundary treatments; ESB substation; laying of underground sewers; watermains and pipes; and attenuation.
It would also have included the importation of approximately 30,000m3 of material for engineering and landscaping purposes within the development and all associated works.
The site is in close proximity to Dundalk Bay SAC and Dundalk Bay SPA, designated European sites. A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) and application under Section 177AE was lodged by the Local Authority on the basis of the proposed development’s likely significant effect on a European site.
An Coimisiún Pleanála made the decision to approve the development in December 2024, subject to 11 planning conditions.
The decision was challenged however in the High Court by residents situated in the Lower Point Road area. The Judicial Review challenged the legality of the decision-making process adopted by An Bord Pleanála.
The High Court made orders:
- Quashing An Bord Pleanála's decision to grant planning permission for the proposed housing development;
- Directing An Bord Pleanála to pay the Applicants' legal costs; and
- Remitting the planning application to An Bord Pleanála for reconsideration in accordance with law.
At the time, Emma Coffey, County Councillor and solicitor for the applicants, said that the was about ensuring that the planning process complies with the law.
Ms Coffey told the Dundalk Democrat that following the remittal of the application, An Bord Pleanála had to reconsider the planning application in accordance with the Court's judgment.
The Board could either refuse planning permission following reconsideration or require a full Environmental Impact Assessment and any other environmental assessments required by law before making a fresh decision.
An Bord Pleaná’s decision was quashed by Order of the High Court on 20 July 2026, and was Perfected on 27 July 2026.
Louth County Council reactivated the case on 15 October 2026. No further details are as yet available on the proposed development.