Residents and environmentalists alike in Duckspool, Dungarvan have told WLR FM of their concern at the prospect of a 218-house development which is being planned in the area.
The applicant, KPMG Future Analytics - on behalf of Mr. Michael Ryan, lodged the development with An Bord Pleanala on July 7th last, which is seeking to construct 218 residential dwellings of various sizes and styles, consisting of 176 houses and 42 apartments, along with a creche and associated site works.
Adjacent to St. Augustine’s College & Scoil Garbháin schools, the lands in question are known to be partial to flooding and are home to various animal species such as brent geese and bats.
Some of the units proposed for the development are 4 storeys high and there are plans for over 400 car parking spaces. Many locals are shocked by the scale of the plan.
Details of the proposed development, documentation, drawings, etc., can be found at the website: www.DuckspoolDungarvanSHD.com.
Several residents groups in the area are organising mass objections and an online petition has over 700 signatures.
Dungarvan Harbour has been identified under the River Basin Management Plan 2019-2021 as requiring remediation measures to reverse its current poor water quality status and any development on the site could provide a negative impact on water quality.
Concerned residents say the project is not in keeping with the landscape of the local area. Secretary of the Tournore Court Residents Association, Lisa Cunningham, spoke with Deise Today on WLR.
“There are real concerns here. The ground is a swamp. It’s very marshy and it’s an ecological breeding ground. In Tournore Court, we can barely use the green and we have out the back shoes on account of how wet our gardens can get. This is not suitable for building at all at the moment. Residents here have had trouble getting flood insurance and the lands here are part of the drainage system. Waterford City & County Council have a new development plan which is running from 2022-2028 and the area in question is being rezoned as a conservation amenity or buffer space. From next year on, it won’t be allowed to be built on - so it seems to us that they’re trying to get the planning in before that becomes the case.”
The area is known to flood in adverse weather conditions.
Some locals feel that there is a reluctance among politicians to publicly come out against large-scale housing developments given that the country is currently in the grips of a housing crisis.
“There is a shortage of housing in Dungarvan. We can understand the need for housing but this land isn’t suitable for it. It’s too wet. The proposal is over 35 units per hectare, which is a high density zoning which doesn’t match in with the low to medium zoning in the area.”
Local resident, Eoin MacNamara, who established the Change.org petition, says that the lands earmarked for the development are frequented by 1% of Ireland's brent geese population yearly.
"They're of international importance. Brent geese are the most important bird in County Waterford. 1% of the population, Ireland-wide, of that bird, is showing up at here at a time. There's 20,000 birds in the bay area all the time - but one of the only small areas outside the tidal zone, is in this field. Where do we think these birds are going to go when the tide is in? There's a small patch of land on the planner's development where the bird population was measured before and it's been left unbuilt. Presumably, they think the birds are going to fly over the building site and land in a small green area, and they'll be fine with that."
1% of Ireland's brent geese population are known to frequent the lands.
The area is also along a secondary road to the N25 which often experiences significant volumes of traffic at school collection times, and the junction off the N25 toward the development often experiences traffic build-up.
Another local, Alan, that the extra volume of cars that would come from the establishment of the homes would cause significant issues.
"As local residents here, we're concerned on a number of matters - particularly in terms of traffic impact. This is a busy road, we've two schools here, in the morning time it can be quite busy. The junction with the N25 can be quite difficult to get out on. The concern amongst the residents here from the surrounding estates is that if you add another 200-400 cars to that, you're adding more volume - and the impact will really be felt at the junction."
These developments largely bypass Waterford City & County Council's planning system due to legislation nationally. An Bord Pleanala is required to provide the Council with a summary of the public submissions they receive in relation to the development. A special meeting of councillors will be held on August 23rd. The Council CEO, Michael Walsh, will have his report by the end of August.
Local councillor, Thomas Phelan (Labour) said:
"Ultimately, the decision to grant or reject planning approval for this SHD application does not rest on the opinions of councillors or on the recommendations of the Council CEO; it will be in the hands of An Bord Pleanala, hence the importance of the public submission process.”
Any submissions must be made to An Bord Pleanála within five weeks of the date the Board received the application (7th July) - therefore by the 10th of August. An Bord Pleanála is expected to make a decision on the case by 26th October, 2021.
You can listen to the residents concerns from the beginning at the link below:
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/45888022
