Green light for Ballyhaise housing

Galetech Sustainable Living Limited has secured planning permission to demolish a garage in Ballyhaise village and replace it with a three-storey, split-level building, containing eight new housing units.

The proposed development will include four one-bed units and four two-bed duplexes on a site located in the centre of the village and accessed from The Square via the 'Bog Road', together with connection to existing public services and all ancillary works.

Significant further information and revised plans were submitted as part of the planning process, which council planners ultimately approved with a total of 20 conditions attached, including that the developer pays €40,000 in contribution fees.

In 2008, local man Kevin Coyle was granted planning permission to build nine apartments in a two-storey block with basement accommodation at the same site.

A year previous he was refused permission on a separate application to build 11 apartments at the same location. In 2013, the same applicant sought to extend planning permission on the plans sanctioned in 2008 but this was refused on the basis it ran contrary to the existing Cavan Development Plan 2008-14 as the development was now “not relative in scale” nor did it “contribute to the unique character and identity of the village”.

The 0.168 hectare site, located 20 metres to the rear of the town square, is currently zoned town core.

A pre-planning consultation with Galetech Sustainable Living Limited occurred in June 2022. The application was formally submitted at the end of November 2022, with a number of topics noted including how the development of the site would relate to the existing “built environment” of the village and adjoining structures, and the potential for higher population density in that area.

Full architectural drawings and a design statement were submitted by Michael Fitzpatrick Architects as part of the planning process, as well as drawings and other submissions in relation to foul and surface water from Alan Traynor Consulting Engineering.

There was one submission submitted by Kevin McEntee, a neighbour, who stated following a request for further information, that it was “unclear” whether hedging and mature trees to the western boundary of the site would remain, voicing his opinion that their loss would result in a “significant loss” of privacy. He also questioned the removal of hedging and its replacement with fencing.

In response to requests for further information, the height of the proposed development was reduced to 7.465 and 5.484 metres, in a split level design, achieved by the removal of a floor from the original design and a minor adjustment to the roof pitch level. While the residential density will remain, the size of the units was “scaled down” from 598.8 to 500 sq m.

The four ground floor units will each have a private open patio space of just over 11sqm with outdoor seating, while the developer was also asked to incorporate “opaque glazing” on the north gable to ensure privacy against adjoining dwellings.