Extension to Buncrana Apartments refused following objections from residents.
The extension to a Buncrana apartment building has been refused by Donegal County Council over fears of how it could impact Lough Swilly and a coastal walkway.
The extension to a Buncrana apartment building has been refused by Donegal County Council over fears of how it could impact Lough Swilly and a coastal walkway.
The proposed development by John Hegarty & Sons (Construction) Limited included the extension to Swilly Apartments to provide four more apartments with a new stairwell.
Swilly Apartments consist of 15 apartments and are adjacent to Tank and Skinny’s cafe, Buncrana Shorefront, and are situated on the Swilly Road close to Buncrana pier.
Some residents from the apartment complex submitted objections to the development. The objectors had similar concerns which included that the extension would block off the fire escape, lack of parking for the current residents as the car park is already used by non residents, possible devaluation of there properties, lack of consultation with the residents and a considerable amount of the foreshore would have to be removed to accommodate the development leading to the coastline been altered.
An objection was submitted from Colm Furey, whose apartment is adjacent to where the extension would have been built, and he was concerned this "would mean I have no rear exit in the event of an emergency, e.g, fire."
Mr. Furey was also concerned that the new apartments would devalue the current ones and deter prospective buyers from purchasing them. "The erection of new apartments would devalue the existing ones, which are considerably older," Colm Furey added.
Another objection was submitted from Mary Mullan, who purchased her apartment nearly 30 years ago. Ms Mullan said she was "strongly objecting" to the development because when she purchased her apartment, it was the nearest one to “the staircase and door for escape in the event of fire or other disaster. If the proposed development goes ahead, that would not be possible."
Bridget Walsh, also of Swilly apartments, submitted an objection over concerns that the development will cause additional traffic hazards in the area. Ms Walsh attached photographs in her objection of Swilly Road, "showing that cars cannot freely move up and down the road already. Additional developments proposed will cause additional traffic hazards in this area. I am very concerned that fire, ambulance, or other emergency services would not be able to access this residential block in an emergency."
A request for further information was required by the planning authority. These pieces of information included an Natura Impact Statement (NIS) and a flood risk assessment. Following the submission of the information from the applicant, further concerns were raised by residents.
Bridget Walsh outlined that she had concerns that the development would negatively impact dolphins and porpoises, which she states are regularly seen in the water beside the existing apartments. "I have seen these on many occasions, 10 metres from my balcony. Their habitat and associated food chain have the potential to be severely impacted by the proposed development and any run-off and/or contamination."
Ms Walsh also stated that "The sea water quality in this area is currently rated as very poor and dangerous to swim in or ingest due to current levels of pollution, so any additional pollution risks would be unacceptable."
Following the submission of the NIS report, Colm Furey wasn’t satisfied that the issues previously raised about traffic and access to parking hadn't been addressed. "There are no provisions for extra parking spaces in the report, nor will existing tenants be able to park their vehicles during the construction phase. This is wholly unacceptable.”
Donegal County Council refused to grant planning permission for the development due to three main reasons. These included that the proposed apartments would be built adjacent to a designated Walkway, and it is the policy of the council “to protect the coastal walkways in Buncrana as they are important tourism, recreation, and amenity resource for the town."
The planning authority also refused permission for the apartments due to concerns over how it would impact Lough Swilly. "Based on the information submitted in support of the planning application, and in particular, the failure to provide a comprehensive Mitigation and Monitoring Plan or to provide certainty regarding the detail of all construction works and associated mitigation, ongoing monitoring and general best practice measures, the Planning Authority is not satisfied that the proposed development would not have an adverse effect on the integrity of the site."
Donegal County Council's also said that it wasn't satisfied based on the information submitted that the applicant had demonstrated sufficient legal interest in the whole site, particularly if works were required below the high tide watermark.