Planning extension granted for 142 apartments in Dundalk

Louth County Council has granted an extension of duration of planning permission for an apartment complex of 142 apartments at the Inner Relief Road in Dundalk.

Jan C Van Dijk was granted planning permission in 2019 by An Bord Pleanála for a Strategic Housing Development at a site south of the Dundalk Inner Relief Road and west of the old Dublin Road (R132) in Dundalk, consisting of 58 one-bed; 64 two-bed; and 20 three-bed apartments. 

The proposed apartment complex covers five buildings, ranging in height from two to five storey on a site measuring 2.16 hectares. Provision is also made for the installation of solar/photovoltaic panels on the roofs of each building the direction of which will depend on orientation. 

A crèche and community room together with parking, roadways and ancillary site works are included in the plans, as well as a new vehicular access via a roadway and new entrance off the R215 Inner Relief Road and a dedicated pedestrian/cycle link to Dublin Road (R132).

Louth County Council gave the go ahead for an extension of duration of planning permission for the development on 25 July 2024, subject to two conditions, one of which states that the extension of duration expires on 31 December 2026.

The SHD process was introduced in 2017 by the government, to help speed up the planning application process and the delivery of larger housing and student accommodation developments. SHDs applications went directly to An Bord Pleanála for decision, and could not be appealed.

The Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) process was introduced in 2021 to replace the SHD process. This restores the two-stage planning process, with decision making for LRD applications returning to the local planning authority in the first instance, with the subsequent right of appeal to An Board Pleanála.