Core Refusal Reason
The application was refused due to the applicant's failure to demonstrate a rural housing need, significant environmental and public health risks regarding wastewater disposal in a sensitive SAC area, and the visually obtrusive nature of the proposed dwelling in a high-sensitivity landscape.
Decision Maker's Conclusion
- The applicant failed to establish a substantiated rural housing need or long-standing local intrinsic rural links to the specific townland as required by Objective RHO 3 of the County Development Plan.
- The site's poor drainage characteristics and proximity to the Connemara Bog Complex SAC pose unacceptable risks to public health and groundwater quality, with potential for significant adverse effects on European protected sites.
- The proposed dwelling's elevated and exposed position in a Class 4 sensitive landscape would result in a visually obtrusive feature that fails to appropriately integrate into the rural character of the area.
Cited Policies (CDP)
Objective RHO 3Objective NHB1Objective DS6Objective NHB2DM Standard 40Objective RHO 9Objective LCM 1Objective LCM 2DM Standard 6
Decision Document Summary
Mary Josephine Gloherty sought permission for a 274.30 sqm dwelling and effluent treatment system at Toombeola, Roundstone, a site located within the Connemara Bog Complex SAC and a Class 4 sensitive landscape. Galway County Council refused the application on six grounds, primarily citing the applicant's lack of a substantiated rural housing need, the unsuitability of the peaty site for wastewater disposal, and the potential for significant adverse impacts on the integrity of the SAC. Additional...SOURCE PDFOpen Original
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