Core Refusal Reason
The Planning Authority initially refused the proposal due to flood risk (Flood Zones A and B); however, the Board Inspector overturned this, recommending a grant of permission as a site-specific assessment proved the site is at low risk (Flood Zone C) and consistent with the residential zoning objectives.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The submitted Site-Specific Flood Risk Assessment (SSFRA) successfully demonstrated that the proposed floor levels are sufficient to categorize the developable site as Flood Zone C, meaning a justification test is not required.
- The proposal for three dwellings is consistent with the 'C1' Town Centre/Village zoning in the Bearna Metropolitan Plan 2022-2028 and represents an appropriate scale of development for the site context.
- Potential impacts on the Gaeltacht can be mitigated at the approval stage through the requirement of a Linguistic Impact Statement and a 15-year language enurement clause for at least one residential unit.
Cited Policies (CDP)
Objective LU8Development Management Standard FL1Objective GA 4Objective GA 5Objective GIED 2Objective FL 18Objective GCMA 18Objective GCMA 19Objective BMSP 17National Policy Objective 3a
Decision Document Summary
The application seeks outline permission for the construction of 3 houses (one detached and a pair of semi-detached) on a 0.172 ha brownfield site in the village of Barna, Co. Galway. The site, situated on the northern side of the R336 and adjacent to the Trusky Stream, previously contained commercial units and is now cleared. While Galway County Council refused permission based on flood risk policies in the 2015-2021 Development Plan, the Inspector evaluated the case under the newly adopted Gal...SOURCE PDFOpen Original
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