Core Refusal Reason
The application was refused due to the failure to demonstrate a genuine rural housing need in an iconic landscape, unsuitable ground conditions for wastewater treatment, and the lack of a confirmed public water supply connection.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The applicant failed to provide sufficient documentation to substantiate a genuine rural housing need or intrinsic links to the area, which is a mandatory requirement for development within a Class 4 Iconic Landscape and the GCTPS area.
- The site exhibits poor drainage characteristics and widespread ponding, and the submitted site characterisation was incomplete, meaning safe disposal of domestic effluent cannot be guaranteed, posing a risk to public health and surface waters.
- No written confirmation was provided from Irish Water regarding the feasibility of a connection to the public water mains, leading to concerns regarding the provision of a safe water supply for the proposed dwelling.
Cited Policies (CDP)
Policy Objective RH 4Policy Objective RH 2Policy Objective RH 9Policy Objective WW 6Policy Objective WW 4Policy Objective FL1Policy Objective LCM 1Policy Objective LCM 2DM Standard 6DM Standard 7DM Standard 8DM Standard 11DM Standard 28DM Standard 36DM Standard 38DM Standard 46DM Standard 47DM Standard 50DM Standard 67
Decision Document Summary
Marie Therese Delapp sought permission for a 130.1 sqm dwelling and 48 sqm garage at Cregg, Oughterard, a site located within an 'Iconic' landscape sensitivity area and the Galway County Transport Planning Strategy (GCTPS) zone. Galway County Council refused the application on three main grounds: the applicant's failure to prove a functional rural housing need for this sensitive location, the unsuitability of the site's ground conditions for wastewater treatment as evidenced by ponding and an in...SOURCE PDFOpen Original
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