Core Refusal Reason
The proposal was refused due to its intrusive visual impact on a highly scenic rural landscape and the failure to demonstrate a compliant wastewater treatment system based on up-to-date site data.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The proposed development, by reason of its elevated siting, would constitute an intrusive encroachment into a highly scenic landscape, militating against its preservation and setting an undesirable precedent for ad-hoc backland development.
- The proposal is contrary to policy objectives HOU 42 and HOU 47 of the Louth County Development Plan 2021-2027, as it fails to appropriately integrate into the local landscape or meet established site selection criteria.
- The applicant failed to demonstrate that the proposed wastewater treatment system complies with the EPA Code of Practice 2021, as the submitted Site Characterisation Report relied on trial hole data that was over three years old and could not be verified during site inspection.
Cited Policies (CDP)
HOU 42HOU 47Section 13.9.4IU 18Section 8.12.2NBG 37HOU 41Table 3.5
Decision Document Summary
Elizabeth Bell sought outline permission for a new dwelling house and wastewater treatment system at Rath Lower, Riverstown, Co. Louth, on a site straddling Rural Policy Zones 1 and 2. Although the planning authority was satisfied that the applicant demonstrated a local housing need, the application was refused on two primary grounds. Firstly, the elevated nature of the site was deemed to cause significant visual harm to an Area of High Scenic Quality (AHSQ), representing an intrusive form of pi...SOURCE PDFOpen Original
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