Birr housing plan appealed to planning board

A plan for the construction of 66 residential units along with a section of new distributor road in Birr has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

The development, which was granted planning permission by Offaly County Council in April, was one of two similar building projects to be given the go ahead in the Railway Road, Townsparks and Seffin areas of Birr, making provision for 120 new residential units in the area.

Planning permission for the housing development which has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála was sought by Eoin Garry in April of last year. The developmnent consists of some 66 new homes, to include 46 build-to-rent apartments in four separate three-storey blocks, and 20 homes which are a mix of three and four bed detached and semi-detached homes.

The plans also include provision for the construction of a new distributor road.

A third party appeal was submitted to A Bord Pleanála in the name of John Hoare, with an address at Roscrea Road, Birr.

In his submission, John Hoare reiterated a number of points he made in three previous submissions to Offaly County Council, all of which he said are “still valid.” Among the points he made was that there is “an over concentration” of one and two-bed apartments and build to rent apartments on an open hilltop. “This is not Dublin city centre,” the submission said, “it's a rural Heritage Town in the centre of Ireland.” The appellant described the density of accommodation as “too much” and said it was not in accordance with proper and sustainable development.

He described the proposal to have three-storey buildings constructed on an esker at the top of a hill as being “obtrusive” and likely to be “anything but proper and sustainable planning.” Pointing out that Birr is a main national tourist atrraction, the submission stated that “unseemly development could be detrimental to the tourism of the locality, affecting hotels, restaurants, shops and both locals and visitors alike.”

Among the other points made in the submission were concerns about health and safety, with the appellant stating that the development would put “further pressure” on the roundabout at the junction where the N52 and N62 meet near the County Arms Hotel, making this area “considerably less safe” for locals and passersby collectively.

The appellant also said there was an inadequate provision of additional social amenities provided for in the development, and he also expressed concerns about the fact that Birr still has no ring road. “Birr cannot wait any longer for a ring road before any further housing development occurs in this area, putting further strains at the junction/roundabout (near Tesco where the N52 and N62 national routes intersect.) The junction in question was described as “a nightmare as it stands” in the submission, which pointed out that the amount of traffic coming onto the roundabout near Tesco will be ”excessive” when the health centre and additional development at the County Arms Hotel is factored in “not to mention this development and adjoining developments.”

An Bord Pleanála is due to make a decision on the appeal by September 11 next.