Kildare County Council grants permission for 180-home scheme at New Abbey Road, Nicholastown, Co. Kildare

In context

It is one of 61 housing scheme applications Kildare County Council has received in the past twelve months, against 1,561 nationally. Of the 3,032 such applications decided by councils in the past three years, 79% were granted.

What happens next

The applicant, or anyone who made a submission on the application, can appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála within four weeks of 20 May 2025. If no appeal is lodged, the council’s decision stands and a final grant issues.

The development description, as lodged

Verbatim from the Kildare County Council register. This is the source for every figure in the story above.

A Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) consisting of 180 no. dwellings (152 no. houses, 20 no. duplexes and 8 no. apartments) a creche (261sq.m), 2 no. medical/healthcare units (265sq.m) and offices (921sq.m) along with a wastewater pumping station and all ancillary development and associated site works all on lands measuring 6.6 hectares. The proposed residential units include: • 152 no. two and three storey, semi-detached/ terraced houses (85 no. 3-beds – C1, C2, C3 &E- and 67 no. 4-beds – B, B1 & F) • 20 no. duplex over single units (10 no. 1-bed ground floor units – H1 - with 10 no. 2 bed units over – H2) • 8 no. apartments (2-bed units - G), above a commercial ground floor, over 2 blocks. The commercial element will be located at the north end of the site and will consist of 3 no. blocks (A, B & C). Blocks A & B are three storeys high and will have commercial uses at ground floor and apartments over (Type G). Block C will be a 4 storey office block. The ancillary development will consist of including 369 no. car parking spaces (including EV charging spaces and disabled parking spaces), 106 no. cycle parking spaces (including covered spaces), public and communal open spaces, hard and soft landscaping, play area, SuDs features, boundary treatments, waste management areas/bin stores, internal roads, footpaths, cycle lanes and services provision (including pumping station) and all associated site works. The proposed vehicular and pedestrian access will be via 2 no. access points off New Abbey Road, one to the north and one to the east. A pedestrian and cyclist access is proposed to Sunbury Close. The proposed development also involves works on lands owned by Kildare County Council (New Abbey Road, R413) relating to traffic calming (0.33 ha) and new footpath. The proposed development will involve the demolition of the existing agricultural buildings to the north-west of the site (513.5sq.m). The Planning Application may be inspected online at the following website: www.newabbeyroadlrd.ie. Revised by Significant Further Information which consists of: •Adjustment to site layout to allow for the design of two new access/exit points as potential connection points for the proposed Kilcullen Relief Road, which connects the development at the south and south-east boundaries; • Removal of six number 4-bedroom houses (Type B) and replace with six number 3-bedroom houses (four x Type C2 and two x Type E); • Two new height options for reduction in height of