Planning granted by Donegal County Council for 42 properties near Letterkenny

Planning permission has been granted by Donegal County Council for the construction of 42 properties in Lisnennan, to the north of Letterkenny. 

The new dwelling units will comprise two two-bedroom semi-detached houses, four three-bedroom semi-detached houses, 26 four-bedroom semi-detached houses, eight two-bedroom terraced houses, two three-bedroom terraced houses, and the planning application also includes connection to all existing services already on site, including foul water drainage, storm water drainage, watermains, footpaths, roadways, and all associated site works. 

A period of 10 years has been granted for the construction of the properties. 

Letterkenny Rosemount Homes Ltd was the listed applicant for the proposal, with the site accessed by Lios Na Greine, off Lisnennan Court. 

Donegal County Council granted the application planning permission, with 27 conditions, of which under four of the conditions, the developer was required to pay over €400,000. 

The developer was advised to liaise with the Executive Roads Engineer for the area prior to undertaking survey work, under a condition in which a sum of €50,000 was required before development commences, to ensure adequate security, with a condition “that damage to the public road as a result of the carrying out of the development herein permitted shall be reinstated to the satisfaction of the Area Roads Engineer.”

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Before the development commences, the developer was required to contribute a sum of €210,000, either in cash or a bond of a banking or insurance company acceptable to the Planning Authority, to “provide adequate security to the Planning Authority for provision and completion of all services required by the development”

The applicant also has to contribute €86,738.40 in respect of public infrastructure and facilities benefiting development in the area of the Planning Authority that are already provided or intended to be provided by the Authority.

Finally, it was considered “reasonable” that the developer contribute €63,000, “towards the specific exceptional costs which are incurred by the Planning Authority, which are not covered in the Development Contribution Scheme and which benefit the proposed development,” as a special contribution under Section 48 (2)(c) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, in respect of road safety and traffic management measures to be carried out by Donegal County Council Roads.

The site had previously been granted planning permission in 2006 for 30 homes, during a period that Morgan Architects described as “prosperous economic circumstances.” 

Morgan Architects said developments for the 2006 application “had begun by way of stripping and stockpiling topsoil” but had “remained in this state since then in a somewhat stagnant manner.”

Regarding the new project, Morgan Architects stated that its focus was “on creating a quality urban intervention using carefully selected good-quality materials, giving the scheme a distinct and elegant appearance which contributes significantly to the urban fabric in this area.”

Conall Newman of Harley Newman Planning Consultants wrote: “Within a time of national housing crisis, the proposed residential scheme would provide much-needed housing for the principal urban settlement in the county/region and would accord with national, regional and local policy in this regard.”