Core Refusal Reason
Failure to demonstrate compliance with rural housing need policies for areas under strong urban pressure and significant traffic safety concerns regarding site access.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The applicants failed to demonstrate compliance with Policy Objective RH 2, which restricts rural housing in areas under strong urban pressure (GCTPS) to those with a specific local need.
- The proposed vehicular access onto a local primary road is considered a traffic hazard due to restricted visibility and sub-optimal horizontal road alignment.
- The large-scale removal of mature trees and hedgerows required to achieve necessary sightlines would negatively impact the visual amenity of the area and contravene development management standards.
Cited Policies (CDP)
Policy Objective RH 2DM Standard 28DM Standard 47Galway County Development Plan 2022-2028
Decision Document Summary
The application proposed the construction of a 294.30 sqm serviced dwelling house and domestic garage at Pollaturk or Newgarden. Galway County Council refused the development because the applicants did not establish a genuine rural housing need under Policy Objective RH 2 for an area under strong urban pressure. Furthermore, the proposed access onto a high-speed local primary road was deemed unsafe, and the extensive hedgerow removal required to mitigate visibility issues was considered detrimen...SOURCE PDFOpen Original
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