Residents in the Paddocks estate on the Williamstown Road in Waterford City say they would like to see the development finished.

However, they say they can’t support plans to build 324 houses and apartments adjacent to them.

The receiver of the land has applied to An Bord Pleanala for fast-track approval.

Keith Worley is a resident in the Paddocks.

“We’re not by any means saying don’t built. We want the estate finished.

“If you drive down it there’s fences up all over it, they’re not painted, the roads are not finished, the lights come and go.

“We want it finished, we want families in there.

“What they’re proposing, we feel, is not suitable for the area, is not suitable for the infrastructure and is not in keeping with what we bought into.”

Keith Worley says the biggest issue for him is the apartment blocks because they will impinge on the overall aesthetic of the estate, the overall goal of the estate which was family living close to the city but outside the city centre.

He added that the apartments are “not suitable housing for young families”.

“We feel it would be more suitable to have 2 bedroom, 3 bedroom or 4 bedroom houses instead of the apartment blocks.”

Keith Worley doesn’t think the infrastructure can cope with what’s planned.

“You have one entrance in on to a road that’s already at saturation point, with no traffic management plan in place.

“You’re going to struggle to get in and out, there’s no bus service in and out of town, there’s none to the college

“The primary schools within the areas are full. They’re full to capacity at present so your child is going to have to go to school in town. How are you going to get them in to town?

“These are people that are going to be part of our community who are going to be our neighbours but they’re not going to be afforded the same opportunities that we are within the estate at the present time.”

Pete Monroe is from Booterstown, he says he’s not against development.

“In fact, I’ll actually appreciate when there is houses in behind us because during the summers you do have antisocial behaviour in the field.

“It’s the scale of it. The councillors spot it, the people backing on to it, the people that are living in the paddocks can see it, we all see the problems.

“I’m fearful that this will be driven by money.

“The land will be worth more, the more houses you can put on it.”