Planners give decision on two Laois houses hit with multiple objections

Laois planners have made their decision on a planning application seeking to add an extra two houses to a new Mountmellick estate.

Grange Manor is a privately funded estate of 54 two storey houses in Harbour Street in the town centre. The property development is under construction with houses on sale starting at €375,000.

The developer Cosmo Developments Ltd who also built Rockview in Portlaoise, recently sought permission to build two semi detached 2-storey 3-bedroom houses on amenity zoned land at the entrance.  

The application was met with multiple objections from neighbours, read them below. 

Laois County Council planners agree with some of their concerns, and have refused permission, a decision made on February 7. 

They gave their reasons why.

"The proposed development is located on lands zoned Open Space and Amenity in the Laois County Development Plan with an objective 'to preserve, provide for and improve active and passive recreational public and private open space'. The proposed development would lead to a loss of open space and amenity area within the Grange Hall and Grange Manor housing estates.

"The development therefore would seriously injure the residential amenity of the housing development, depreciate the value of properties in the vicinity and would set an undesireable precedent for similar development in the area. Accordingly, the proposed development would be contrary to the provisions of the Laois County Development Plan and the Mountmellick Local Area Plan, would materially contravene the zoning objectives and would be contrary to proper planning".

Among the many submissions was one from the residents of Grange Hall estate, which will share an entrance with the new estate, gave a shared submission.

They said they had "serious concerns" and the extra houses "prioritised private gain over community welfare". Their concerns included a loss of green space for both housing estates, increased road safety risk at the entrance, inadequate visitor parking space, poor integration with the streetscape. 

The residents of Harbour Street with Joseph Hayden who lives next to the site in 1 Harbour Street also lodged an objection and a petition with 24 signatures, citing the loss of zoned amenity space "a precious resource and should be protected at all costs". Mr Hayden dismissed the applicant's justifications for removing the amenity space as "nonsense".

"My home and my life would be the most adversely impacted if this were to go ahead", the resident had said, describing the scale of the proposed houses as "overbearing and oppressive" beside his cottage.

The applicant has four weeks to appeal the decision by Laois planners to An Bord Pleanála.