Green light for 58 houses in Mullagh

Cavan County Council has rubber-stamped the proposed construction of 58 residential units in Mullagh.

The approved development will consist of a range of house types, including 26 three-bed, two-storey, semi-detached units; 16 four-bed, two-storey, semi-detached houses; 14 three-bed, dormer bungalows; one four-bed two-storey detached home and one single-storey three-bed dwelling.

The developers, Mary Crook and Anne O’Connell, will also form a new entrance onto the R194 (Virginia Road) and the permission also provides for connections to all public services and all associated site works.

Fronting onto the R194, approximately 150 metres west of Mullagh’s town centre and bounding Ardlo Manor to the east and St Kilian’s Church and community centre to the west, the lands on which the build is planned are currently zoned for 'Residential' use under the Cavan County Development Plan 2022–2028.

Planning permission was previously secured on the same site in 2019 in the name of Liam O’Connell for a 51-unit development. That permission lapsed without any construction ever commencing.

The current proposal includes a variety of housing types aimed at providing adaptable, future-proof homes that cater to a wide demographic, says a design statement prepared by Hanley Taite Design Partnership of behalf of the applicants. Along with extensive further information provided, it outlined that 22% of the site area is allocated to semi-public green space, while also noting that the housing density is consistent with similar developments already in the locality.

However, the application faced a submission of concern from the Boyne Catchment Anglers Association, which cited serious capacity issues at Mullagh Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).

The EPA’s 2023 Annual Environmental Report, they say, indicates that the plant is overloaded by about 33%, is non-compliant, and is causing observable water quality deterioration.

Irish Water, the group adds, has not scheduled upgrade works at the local WWTP until at least 2029, raising concerns for the Boyne Catchment Anglers that any new development could further impact the local aquatic environment before adequate infrastructure improvements are made.

Having considered all of the factors, council planners approved the development with a total of 27 conditions attached.