Waterford City and County Council has refused planning permission for a proposed residential development at Airfield Point in Dunmore.

The application, submitted by Airfield Point Holdings Ltd, sought permission for a total of 86 residential units, together with a new creche and a range of associated site works.

The proposed housing development would have included detached, semi-detached and terraced homes, as well as several apartments.

Plans also included a 219.3-square-metre, single-storey creche, with two classrooms, ancillary rooms, an outdoor play area, 10 car parking spaces and a set-down area.

The wider development would have included new foul and surface water drainage, water mains, a stormwater pumping station, a detention pond, roads and pedestrian connections to the existing Airfield Point housing estate, parking, landscaping and public lighting.

However, Waterford City and County Council has now refused permission, with the decision dated August 20th, 2026.

The first reason for refusal relates to the proposed drainage arrangements and changes made to the application at the further information stage.

The council says the proposed revisions to the site boundary, which were intended to facilitate foul and stormwater connections to public networks, represented a fundamental change to the development and therefore could not be considered as significant further information.

Concerns were also raised about the proposed surface water pumping station and rising main.

The council says it was not satisfied that an adequate connection to the public surface water drainage network had been technically demonstrated.

It also said it was not satisfied that the proposed diversion of existing services on the site had been shown to be technically feasible to the satisfaction of Uisce Éireann.

As a result, the planning authority considered the development premature pending a resolution of the drainage and sewerage issues.

The second reason for refusal relates to the proposed detention basin.

The council says that, because of its location to the rear of two apartment blocks, the area was not suitably integrated into the overall development as an amenity space.

Concerns were also raised about whether the proposed basin met the objectives of Sustainable Drainage Systems, or SuDS.

Particular concerns were expressed about the inclusion of steps and the overall depth of the temporary storage area, with the council saying these features could make maintenance more difficult, limit its use as amenity space and create a potential safety hazard.

The planning authority concluded that the proposal would therefore conflict with Policy UTL 09 of the Waterford City and County Development Plan 2022–2028.

The decision can be appealed to An Coimisiún Pleanála, subject to the relevant statutory requirements and deadlines.

The planning decision was made by Waterford City and County Council on August 20th, 2026.

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