22/4420
(a) Construction of two storey nursing home to cater for 105 residents with single bedrooms, day rooms, dining areas, kitchen with ancillary services within a floor area of 4981sq/m, plant room 100.4sq/m associated to the nursing home, visitor and staff car parking, landscaped area, enclosed private courtyard, (b) Construction of staff accommodation consisting of 8 No 2 bed apartments, with associated parking and private open space, (c) Construction of 48 No 2-bedroom houses (Retirement Village) with landscaping visitor car parking, (a), (b) and (c) with entrance off the existing public road and connection to main foul sewer via on site foul sewage treatment/pump station with a connection to the public main water network.
Core Refusal Reason
The proposal was refused due to its negative visual impact on a high-value landscape, its inappropriate peripheral location within the Greenbelt, and the lack of adequate wastewater treatment capacity.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The development's scale, massing, and loss of mature trees would negatively impact the visual character of a High Value Landscape and a designated Scenic Route.
- The site's peripheral location within the Greenbelt is disconnected from local services and fails to provide an appropriate quality of residential care accommodation.
- The proposal is premature because the Mitchelstown Wastewater Treatment Plant is overloaded, making it impossible to determine that there would be no adverse effects on the integrity of Natura 2000 sites.