Large housing development is 'extremely positive' for Tullamore says developer
A local developer says he is delighted with a decision by Offaly County Council to grant John Flanagan Developments Ltd permission to build a large-scale housing scheme in Tullamore.
The local company is planning to construct 90 houses, 20 apartments and 38 age friendly assisted living units at Tyrell's Road, Ardan/Puttaghan, in Tullamore.
Company joint Managing Director, Dominic Doheny said that the housing development will tie in with the new hospital planned for the same Wellwood 20 acre site just off the N52 bypass which was given planning approval in February of this year.
The development will also include a crèche and all ancillary works, including public and private open space areas, car parking, bicycle parking and bin and bicycle stores
''It will be extremely positive in relation to the housing needs that are out there at the moment. The hospital will have a lot of people coming and going and accommodation will have to be found for those people. Then there is the Steris development and all the new jobs to be created out there. The big thing to attract anybody to the town is the availability of housing and accommodation. We think that the development will tie in very nicely with the whole infrastructure and development of the town. We have to compete with other towns as well,'' he said.
The houses will be made up of one and two storey dwellings with a mix of two, three and four bedrooms. The apartments will be over two blocks with one and two bedroom units and 38 age friendly assisted living units. There will also be associated communal and administrative facilities.
A four week period to allow for appeals is now in place before any construction can begin.
Mr Doheny said the company doesn't have a start date for building to commence. ''We have to 'up' our internal planning. It's a big site. It will be quick enough, but I can't give a definitive date. We are also planning the hospital development, that's something we are planning internally at the moment,'' he said.
Offaly County Council attached 26 conditions when granting permission. Some of these were related to submissions made by people in Arden Vale and Davitt Street in Tullamore.
Arden Vale were concerned about construction traffic through their area. Meanwhile Davitt Street residents were worried about a potential increase in traffic.
Mr Doheny said it is the intention of the company to meet with those groups and organisations in the next few weeks to discuss what concerns they have and ''see if there is anything we can do to allay those fears around those concerns.''
He said Arden Vale made an observation in relation to no construction traffic through the estate. ''That is a condition of planning. It's not a problem. We gave an undertaking that there wouldn't be a construction entrance. Also we will be building a new pump station at the end of the site, that will help the entire area. It will enhance the Arden Vale pump station. We will have access from Arden Vale to that pump station until such time as we can provide a new permanent access to the Wellwood site. That entrance has been granted. We discussed all of that with planners,'' he said.
In relation to the potential increase in traffic through Davitt Street, Mr Doheny said there will be just one exit from the site onto Tyrell's Road. Originally there was to be a vehicular entrance onto Park Avenue and the traffic would have been ''quite significant,'' he said. ''We changed this to a pedestrian only zone,'' he added.
Mr Doheny believes that for those wanting to go into town most vehicles will travel from the Wellwood site up Convent View as he said it is easier to get onto the Kilbeggan Bridge than negotiate the tight corner exiting Davitt Street. Otherwise he believes people will take the by-pass.
Once work begins on the development Mr Doheny expects it will employ 100 people in the initial stages.