Planning permission refused for four townhouses in Leitrim due to ‘substandard’ design
Permission for four two-storey townhouses in Mohill was refused due to concerns over design, residential amenity impacts and emergency access.
A planning application for a housing development in South Leitrim has been refused by Leitrim County Council.
An application was submitted by Morgan McHugh in November 2025 seeking permission for the construction of four two-storey, two-bedroom townhouses on a site to the rear of Main Street, Mohill. The proposal also included a bin store, landscaping, connection to existing services and associated site development works.
Leitrim County Council refused permission on January 26, outlining two reasons for its decision in a letter to the applicant.
The first reason stated that the council considered the proposed development to be poorly designed. “The proposed development provides for a substandard, piecemeal and haphazard form of development,” the reason said.
It went on to state that, if permitted, the development would give rise to “significant adverse impacts” on the residential amenities of both the prospective inhabitants of the proposed residential units and the occupiers of the existing residential apartments.
As a result, the council concluded that the proposal would contravene policies of the County Development Plan and fail to comply with national housing guidelines.
The second reason related to access to the site, which is via a narrow archway from Main Street.
This was deemed too restrictive to adequately accommodate emergency service vehicles, such as ambulances, and was considered to “set an undesirable precedent for further similar forms of development.”
“The proposed development could therefore endanger public safety and would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area,” the reason stated.
The applicant has the opportunity to appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála within four weeks of the refusal date, which was January 26.