2460585

permission for the erection of five detached single storey pods each of which would accommodate a studio style holiday dwelling containing a bedroom, kitchenette and toilet with shower and wash-hand basin, to be clad in timber and metallic sheeting and covered with a mono-pitch roof. A single metallic sheeting and covered with a mono-pitch roof sauna. These units would be served by individual soakpits and a gully, a communal wastewater treatment system and soil polishing filter, a new well for potable water purposes, a vehicular driveway with five car parking bays therein and all site works including landscaping and the formation of clay banks. This development is to be accessed via and entrance and driveway which was permitted by the Council under reg. 2225 and which has already been constructed. This development contravenes condition 6 of permission reg. 2225 (which states that ‘Existing shrub and tree vegetation…shall be retained, particularly along the entire roadside boundary’ to the degree that many trees were lost during violent storms in the year 2023 and the present application seeks to provide replenishment planting through a wholly new landscaping scheme, which forms part of this current submission and associate works

Refused

Core Refusal Reason

The proposed development is located in a rural area (AONB) and fails to demonstrate a locational necessity for a rural site, thereby contravening County Development Plan objectives that prioritize tourism accommodation within established settlements.

Decision Maker's Conclusion

  • The development is located in a rural area removed from any settlement and fails to meet the criteria for tourism facilities that are dependent on a rural location.
  • The proposal materially contravenes Objectives CPO 11.3 and 11.4 of the Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028, which require such developments to be located within existing towns and villages.
  • Granting permission would result in the erosion of the rural character of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Mountain Uplands) and set an undesirable precedent for footloose rural development.

Cited Policies (CDP)

CPO 4.10CPO 4.14CPO 4.15CPO 11.1CPO 11.2CPO 11.3CPO 11.4CPO 11.6CPO 11.10CPO 11.13CPO 11.14CPO 11.18CPO 11.33CPO 11.50CPO 11.51CPO 13.2CPO 13.3CPO 13.11CPO 13.14CPO 13.18CPO 17.21CPO 17.22CPO 17.23CPO 17.35CPO 17.36

Decision Document Summary

Niall Davis sought permission for five detached single-storey holiday pods, a sauna, and associated services at Ballinastoe, Roundwood, Co. Wicklow. The site is situated in the 'Open Countryside' and within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Mountain Uplands), adjacent to the Ballinastoe Biking Trails. Wicklow County Council refused the application because the proposal lacks a specific locational need to be in a rural area, as tourism accommodation should generally be directed toward establi...
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