Wicklow County Council grants permission for 71-home scheme at Newtown Centre/Newtown Square, Blessington Demesne, Co. Wicklow

In context

It is one of 108 housing scheme applications Wicklow County Council has received in the past twelve months, against 1,568 nationally. Of the 3,037 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 10 February 2026. If no appeal is lodged, the council’s decision stands and a final grant issues.

The development description, as lodged

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

a proposed development comprising 71 No. residential units and a retail/commercial space of approx. 96sq.m on a site of approx. 0.75 hectares adjoining generally the public road at Newtown Centre to the north, Newtown Square and apartments to the East and ‘Downshire Park’ residential development to the west and south. The residential development will consist of 35 No. 1 & 2 bedroom apartment units within a four storey building (Block 1), and 36 No. 2 & 3 bedroom duplex apartments within 3 No. three storey buildings (Blocks 2,3 & 4) comprising 5 No. 1 Bed Units, 48 No. 2 Bed Units and 18 No. 3 Bed Units together with all site development works and proposed access roads, car parking, bicycle parking, footpaths, bin storage, boundary treatments, public lighting, open space, soft and hard landscaping, electricity sub-station/switch room and new vehicular entrance onto the existing public road bounding the site to the north (Opposite Dunnes Stores) together with vehicular services access and provision for a future access to adjoining lands to the east from existing access road alongside the eastern site boundary and proposed connections to main services including surface water attenuation, foul sewers, surface water sewers and watermains