Green light for unfinished estate

A Ballyjamesduff builder has been granted permission to complete a partially constructed housing development near Virginia.

S Gaffney & Son Ltd has been given the green-light by local planners to erect four detached, two-storey dwellings at Dunancory Demesne, Deerpark.

The successful application also covers connection to existing services, boundary treatments, and all ancillary works, with significant further information submitted by the local developer during the planning process.

Back in 2006, S Gaffney & Son Ltd secured permission for alterations to 12 two-storey houses in this estate. Those works included the addition of conservatories and attic conversions. However, dwellings one to four were never built.

The proposed house types are designed to match those already within the estate, ensuring consistency in the estate’s architectural style. The site has already been cleared and is securely fenced off from the rest of the development.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage was consulted as part of the planning process, given the site's proximity (approximately 180m) to the Deerpark Natural Heritage Area (NHA); while Inland Fisheries Ireland was also a notice party because the River Blackwater flows approximately 90 metres to the west of the proposed site.

There were third-party submissions meanwhile that raised questions about the plans. One from Sheelin McCabe Planning Services Ltd voiced concerns over potential flood risk and claims of overdevelopment.

However, council planning officials clarified that the site is not within a flood zone, based on current indicative flood risk mapping, and that no substantive evidence of flooding was submitted by the objector.

They also concluded that the development, as proposed, does not amount to overdevelopment. The decision noted that a previous planning refusal by An Bord Pleanála was primarily due to the site's location outside zoned lands at the time.

“The site is now zoned and is an extension of an existing and serviced housing estate,” said the planner.

Additionally, the site falls within the N3 Virginia Bypass Planning Referral Corridor but Barry Transportation Consultants confirmed the development will not impact the proposed scheme.

Ultimately, planners considered the development represents the completion of an unfinished estate and aligns with objectives set out in the County Development Plan.