Developer loses appeal for housing at Rathcoole site

A developer has lost their appeal with An Comisiún Pleanála to construct a 176-unit large residential development on a 5.8 hectares site in Rathcoole.

Romeville Developments LTD has failed to successfully appeal the decision by the local council to refuse permission for a proposed new large-scale development at part of the existing Peyton residential estate by Stoney Hill Road, Rathcoole.

The planned development included the construction of 176 dwellings on a site east of Stoney Hill Road comprising of 100 duplex units and 76 houses, with a mix of one-to-four bed units as well as detached, semi-detached and terraced, and the demolition of five existing dwellings and associated outbuildings in order to achieve this.

An Comisiún Pleanála did not overturn the council’s initial decision and cited a failure to “meaningfully integrate” nearby green spaces such as the Rathcoole woodlands, a failure to provide sufficient evidence to show that bats nearby would be protected through the demolition process and concerns with urban design in relation to the level of passive surveillance possible.

The council had initially refused planning for six reasons relating to ecological impacts, green infrastructure, public open space and children’s play, the submitted Traffic and Transport Assessment was deemed not acceptable, urban design concerns with the overall layout and worries about the effect it would have on the Rathcoole woodlands.

16 one-beds, 50 two-beds, 70 three-beds and 40 four-beds with detached, semi-detached and terraced units, a two-storey creche facility with all associated site works were all proposed.