Bord Pleanala shoots down major Navan development

A decision by An Bórd Pleanála this week to turn down planning permission for a multi-million euro residential, retail and commercial development at Clonmagadden, just outside Navan, has came under fierce criticism from county councillors. The planning appeals board granted an appeal by Pat Lynch, and D and M Leavy of Proudstown Road against a decision by Meath County Council to grant permission for the major development proposed by Joe O’Reilly and Colm O’Rourke. The proposed development was to include residential (370 units), retail and office components as well as a public house, restaurant, music school, nursing home, creche, community centre and civic space. In its reasons for granting the appeal against the proposed development, Bórd Pleanála said the proposed development would contravene the Navan Development Plan 2009-2015. The county council had made it a condition of the planning permission it granted that the developers would contribute towards the cost of a new link road between Ratholdron Road (Windtown Road) and the N3. However, even with this stipulation in the planning permission, the board said the development would tend to create “serious traffic congestion” on the inner relief road, in the absence of a second crossing over the Blackwater River for southbound traffic and would, therefore, be premature. The board also said that the layout of the proposed development was “unacceptable”. The disposition of community/education/commercial uses at the southern end of the site was “fragmented” and dominated by roads and car parking. It also criticised the design of the public open space and civic space. The quantum of office use proposed at this edge-of-town location would be inappropriate and would result in the generation of unnecessary car trips, the board added. In addition, the provision of parking spaces for retail units was inadequate and would result in on-street parking on the access road, it added. The board drew attention to the fact that the environmental impact statement submitted with the planning application was lacking in an appropriate level of detail, “particularly with regard to baseline information on flora, fauna (including avian species, invertebrates and aquatic species), soil, bedrock, aquifier(s) which may exist beneath the site”. In the absence of such detail, the board said, it was not possible to effectively assess the environmental impact of the proposed development. The board’s decision drew fierce criticism at Monday’s meeting of Meath County Council. Cllr Tommy Reilly moved the suspension of standing orders to allow for debate on what he called “this crazy decision”. He hit out at Bórd Pleanála for a series of decision in the county which, he said, would damage Meath’s prospects for growth. The board had been responsible for refusals of planning applications for developments for Carton House, Drogheda United, Royal Gateway, Rennicks of Kilbride, Collins of Barstown and Gibney Steel, he said. “I’m beginning to wonder where Navan as a growth town is going. There was an enormous amount of information supplied and an enormous amount of money spent on the application for this development at Clonmagadden. The chairman of the board, John O’Connor, was quoted lately as being critical of county planners and county councillors but here we have a decision which makes no sense. I am very annoyed at this decision. We need the buildings, we need the jobs”, he said. Cllr Brian Fitzgerald said it was “outrageous” that decisions made by the county council to grant permission were “so simply” overturned by the board. He listed a number of developments which had been the subject of refusals by the board. “There were a number of decisions to overturn planning permission without any apparent good reason. The whole thing beggars belief,” said Cllr Fitzgerald. Cllr Bill Carey said he, too, was disappointed and annoyed by the board’s decision, while Cllr John Farrelly said he found it hard to believe that the first major decision affecting the growth of Navan was a refusal. Cllr Joe Reilly also criticised the decision, saying that this part of Navan to the north of the town needed a major project of this kind. County manager Tom Dowling said the board’s decision had only arrived in the past few days and he was now asking the planning department to look at the reasons for the decision and report back to him.