2140620

Permission at Dromin, Cloghroe, Tower, Cork for the construction of 73 no. residential units comprising 5 no. detached 5-bed dwellings, 15 no. detached 4-bed dwellings, 50 no. semi-detached 3 bed dwellings and 3 no. terraced 3-bed dwellings. Upgrade of existing access from the R579, flood mitigation works which include works to the R579, culverting of existing streams, foul and storm drainage, public lighting, landscaping, amenity areas and all associated site works.

Refused

Core Refusal Reason

The proposed development fails to satisfy the Development Management Justification Test regarding flood risk and does not comply with the mandatory dwelling size mix requirements set out in the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028.

Decision Maker's Conclusion

  • The applicant has not provided sufficient information to prove that the development meets the criteria of the OPW Justification Test, particularly regarding the maintenance of flood defences and the cumulative impact of a neighbouring approved Strategic Housing Development on hydraulic modelling.
  • The proposed housing mix, which consists entirely of 3, 4, and 5-bedroom dwellings, fails to provide any 1 or 2-bedroom units, thereby contradicting Objective 11.2 and the evidence-based housing needs of the area.
  • The proposed reliance on a private management company to maintain critical flood defence infrastructure is considered an inappropriate and potentially unenforceable arrangement for a site within a residential zoning.

Cited Policies (CDP)

Objective 10.72Objective 10.73Objective 10.74Section 11.71Section 11.72Table 11.2Objective 11.2Table 11.9Section 11.112Table 11.11Section 11.220Section 11.221Section 11.263Section 12.22Section 12.24

Decision Document Summary

This proposal involves the construction of 73 residential units on a 6.48ha greenfield site in Cloghroe, Tower, Co. Cork. The site is topographically challenging and partially located within Flood Zones A and B, with two previous refusals on the lands due to flood risk. The Inspector's primary concern relates to the adequacy of the Flood Risk Assessment; since a neighbouring Strategic Housing Development (SHD) was granted permission recently, the baseline for hydraulic modelling has changed, and...
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