Amendment lodged for €55M housing development
The developer behind a €55M housing development near Cavan Town has applied to Cavan County Council for permission to amend elements of the previously approved scheme.
The application, submitted by Fitzpatrick & Heavey Homes Ltd, follows the project's successful progression through the planning process, including an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. The latest proposals seek to address observations made in that decision, while also reflecting updated Government apartment design standards introduced since permission was granted.
The application relates to 25 duplex apartments within the approved Fort View development at Drumlark. It proposes changing a number of one-bedroom apartments into larger two-bed, four-person homes. The amendments affect apartment Blocks A to G.
According to the Planning Report and Statement of Consistency prepared by Michael Fitzpatrick Architects, the proposed changes will not increase the overall floor area, alter the footprint or external appearance of any building, or require changes to the approved site layout, road network, parking provision, landscaping or public open spaces.
The report explains that, when the original planning application was prepared, several duplex apartments did not meet the minimum dimensional standards then required for two-bed, four-person units. As a result, they were classified as two-bed, three-person apartments. In its September 2024 decision, An Bord Pleanála commented on the proportion of two-bed, three-person units within the overall scheme.
Since planning permission was granted, however, the Government has published the Planning Design Standards for Apartments: Guidelines for Planning Authorities 2025. Michael Fitzpatrick Architects state that the revised standards now allow the apartments to be reclassified as two-bedroom, four-person units without any alteration to the approved building envelope or overall development design.
The planning report concludes that the proposed amendments are minor in nature, consisting solely of internal modifications, and are not substantially different from the development previously approved by An Bord Pleanála.
Fort View is one of the largest residential developments currently approved in Cavan. The scheme has a gross floor area of approximately 13,526 square metres and will deliver 145 homes together with a purpose-built two-storey crèche.
The approved residential mix comprises 91 houses, including 25 two-bed, 55 three-bed and 11 four-bed homes, along with 54 duplex apartments. The houses range from one to two storeys in height, while the duplex apartment blocks are between two and three storeys.
Planning permission also covers extensive infrastructure works, including new internal roads and footpaths, a new entrance from the public road, a raised pedestrian crossing, a shared pedestrian and cycleway, car parking, bicycle storage, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, children's play areas and communal open spaces.
Dublin-based Fitzpatrick & Heavey Homes acquired the Drumlark site from local businessman Brendan Cosgrove before securing planning permission. The company is regarded as one of Ireland's leading residential developers and currently has approximately 500 homes under construction nationwide, including developments in Tullamore, Wicklow and Moate, Co Westmeath.
When announcing the Cavan project, the company said three-bed homes were expected to come to the market at around €365,000, broadly in line with the average selling price it has achieved for comparable developments outside Dublin.
Local estate agency O'Reilly, Taylor & Tweedy has been appointed selling agent, with prospective purchasers able to reserve homes off the plans.