2561667
for construction of 16 no. apartment units in a 3 storey building block comprising of: a. 3 no. 1 bed ground floor units, b. 5 no. 2 bed ground floor units, c. 5 no. 3 bed upper floor units, d. 3 no. 2 bed upper floor units; demolition of existing dwellinghouse and associated structures,; provision of shared group car parking including a proportion of electric charging spaces and ducting to all spaces for future electric charging points; provision of stand-alone bin store building and bike store building, with provision of grouped bicycle parking for visitors; provision of landscaped communal open space, private open space, revised boundary treatments and public lighting; upgrading of existing vehicular entrance onto the L-1321 County to the east; closure of existing entrance onto the L-13215 County road to the west of the site; revised surface water drainage arrangements including culverting of existing drainage channel; connection to public foul sewer, public watermain and storm sewer along the L-1321 road, 10; footpath connections, signage locations, together with all associated site development works and services. A Natura Impact Statement will be submitted to the planning authority with this application
Core Refusal Reason
The development was refused due to excessive residential density and scale that is out of character with the surrounding area, alongside critical traffic safety issues regarding inadequate visibility splays and a lack of third-party consent for boundary setbacks.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The proposed density of 50.5 units per hectare significantly exceeds the Core Strategy's recommended 30 units per hectare for Bearna, representing an over-intensification of the site that fails to respect the prevailing pattern of development.
- The applicant failed to provide satisfactory evidence of compliant visibility splays, as the required sightlines traverse third-party lands without the necessary legal consent for boundary setbacks, creating a traffic hazard.
- The scale of the development and the resulting traffic movements in a rural road context, combined with overlapping visibility splays and un-demarcated carriageways, would endanger public safety and vulnerable road users.