2460147
for: i) Construction of 51 no. residential units comprising of: a. 10 no. dwellings (7 no. 3-bed units and 3 no. 4-bed units), b. 41 no. duplex units (4 no. 1-bed units, 21 no. 2-bed units, and 16 no. 3-bed units), ii) The construction of 2 no. commercial buildings totalling 703 sqm, comprising of: a. Retail units (99.4 sqm), b. Office space (324 sqm), and c. Café unit (90.4 sqm), iii) Provision of car and bicycle parking, iv) Provision of new vehicular and pedestrian access to the site, v) Provision of public open space, shared communal and private open space, site landscaping, public lighting, bin stores, and site services, vi) Development of a new culverted drain beneath the R336 Bearna Road, vii) Works to the R336 including, a bus set down area, and the provision of road markings, viii) All ancillary and associated site and development works. A Natura Impact Statement (NIS) has been included with this application. Gross floor space of proposed works: 6,011.00sqm & 747 sqm
Core Refusal Reason
The development was refused due to significant flood risk concerns and potential adverse impacts on protected European sites (SAC/SPA) resulting from inadequate wastewater infrastructure and unproven flood mitigation measures.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The Planning Authority is not satisfied that the site is not at risk of flooding, as the effectiveness of the proposed culvert upgrade remains unproven, rendering the development premature and contrary to national flood risk management guidelines.
- Due to inadequacies in the existing wastewater disposal infrastructure and direct hydrological links, the proposal has the potential to adversely affect the integrity and conservation objectives of the Inner Galway Bay SPA and the Galway Bay Complex SAC.
- The proposed development would materially contravene multiple policy objectives of the Galway County Development Plan 2022-2028 regarding flood risk management and the protection of European sites, setting an undesirable precedent for similar future developments.