Offaly County Council grants permission for 126-home scheme at Collins Lane (R443), Ardan, Co. Offaly

In context

It is one of 42 housing scheme applications Offaly County Council has received in the past twelve months, against 1,641 nationally. Of the 3,067 such applications decided by councils in the past three years, 78% 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 5 January 2024. If no appeal is lodged, the council’s decision stands and a final grant issues.

The development description, as lodged

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

A Large Scale Residential Development (LRD). The proposed development consists of 126 no. residential units comprised of 102 no. dwelling houses and 24 no. apartments and a childcare facility/creche. The houses are arranged as 7 no. two-story, detached houses (5 no. 3-bedroom, and 2 no. 4-bedroom), 50 no. two-storey, semi-detached houses (2 no., 4-bedroom, 44 no. 3-bedroom and 4 no. 2-bedroom), 21 no. two-storey terraced houses (in 7 terraces each with 3 no. 2-bedroom houses) and 24 no. three-story (third floor in roof/dormer space), semi-detached houses (containing 4 bedrooms). The apartments are arranged as two-story (and part single-story) units with own-door access with 2 no. units, each containing 4 no. 2-bedroom apartments (2 no. 2-bed at ground floor level and 2 no. 2-bed at first floor level) and 2 no. terraced apartment units each containing 8 no. apartments (4 no., 2-bed at ground floor level and 4 no., 1-bed at first floor level). Bin/recycling stores and bicycle shelters are proposed for the apartments. The development also includes a single-story, childcare facility/creche containing pre-school and after-school facilities with associated, on-site parking, bicycle shelter, bins/recycling stores and amenity/play areas.Proposed vehicular access is proposed to be provided off the existing roundabouts (on the north-south link road between Collins Lane (R443) and the Educate Together School), one by the continuation of the existing road serving the Jehovah Witness Hall site, one by a new roadway from the central roundabout (through the neighbourhood centre zoned site). A new vehicular entrance serving the development is also proposed off the R443, Collins Lane. An internal link road is proposed to The Hawthorns housing estate to the north of the site. Works include all new estate roads, boundary treatments, public open space serving the development including amenity/play areas, landscaping, pedestrian, cycle facilities and landscaping along the R443. Works include waste and surface water services, the under-grounding of overhead power lines and ground-mounted transformers, related and ancillary services and all associated site-works. The application may also be viewed on-line on a website set up by the applicants at www.collinslanehousinglrd.com