Housing project receives green light for Cork village despite strong opposition

Planning permission has been granted for a new housing development on the outskirts of the town of Whitechurch in Cork, despite strong opposition from local residents.

An Bord Pleanála has rejected an appeal from various parties, including the Barleyfield Residents Committee, against the Cork County Council’s decision to approve Hallmark Building Services development of 44 houses on a 2.3 hectare site in Farranastig, about 200 meters from the town center. .

A previous grant of planning permission from the board in 2005 that had approved the construction of 131 houses on a larger site at the same location had expired, while an application for 26 houses on the site in 2017 was withdrawn due to the uncertainty about the water supply in the area.

In making its latest decision, the board said it took into account the fact that the Cobh Municipal District Local Area Plan had the specific goal of encouraging the development of up to 50 additional homes in Whitechurch.

Subject to meeting 22 planning conditions, the board said it did not believe the plan would seriously damage the visual or residential amenities of the area or have an adverse impact on the rural character of the village.

Furthermore, An Bord Pleanála said the development was acceptable in terms of safety and traffic convenience.

Although the developers acknowledged that there were limitations to the water supply in Whitechurch, they said they had had extensive discussions with Irish Water which had resulted in the identification of an alternative supplemental supply.

Residents of six houses in Barleyfield, which were built as the first phase of the development, opposed the new scheme, which is designed to access through the cul-de-sac that serves their homes.

They claimed that the plans would result in serious deterioration of existing facilities, particularly in relation to water supply and drainage.

They complained about the pH levels in the existing water supply that left an undesirable taste in the water and had forced many households to replace dishwashers and washing machines.

The Barleyfield Residents Committee said the development “would result in excessive intensification of use and density that is unsustainable given the unique circumstances of the site.”

He also stated that there were more suitable sites within Whitechurch to build additional houses in the village and noted that the local area plan specified that any individual development in the village should not exceed 20 houses.

Hallmark said it intended to develop the site in two phases of 22 houses each.