Red light for 65 Douglas apartments while Kerry Pike to get 60 new homes

Planners on behalf of the development at East Douglas St and East Douglas Village said the apartment blocks, next to the recently-completed Aldi, would provide a 'landmark building establishing Douglas as a distinctive district within the new Cork City boundary'.

There were contrasting fates for two proposed housing developments near Cork City last week, with plans for 65 apartments in Douglas turned down by An Bord Pleanála but a green light given to 60 dwellings near Kerry Pike.

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Both planning appeals had been lodged with An Bord Pleanála in January 2022, meaning the projects had been placed on hold.

While the development in Douglas was originally rejected by Cork City Council, the local authority had granted conditional permission for the 60 homes at Kilronan, Ballycannon in Kerry Pike.

In the case of the latter development, it was appealed to An Bord Pleanála by a local who owns an adjoining field to the lands earmarked for development.

The man, a full-time farmer, said his appeal was backed by the Irish Farmers’ Association which wrote that he had sold seven acres of his land for development but he retained a contractual right of way to access the remaining eight acres through the land that was sold.

An Bord Pleanála's planning inspector noted that his appeal also cited the possibility of trespass and anti-social behaviour increasing significantly due to the size of the development.

The inspector said: "It is my view that the proposed agricultural access to the adjoining field through the proposed estate is unlikely to have an adverse impact on vehicular and pedestrian safety, provided that the access route is not used for the movement of livestock along the road."

The inspector concluded that the development "would not seriously injure the visual or residential amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity", as they recommended it be approved.

Planners on behalf of the development at East Douglas St and East Douglas Village said the apartment blocks, next to the recently-completed Aldi, would provide a "landmark building establishing Douglas as a distinctive district within the new Cork City boundary".

It would also provide a variety of apartments, represent efficient use of the land, and create a distinct sense of place.

However, Cork City Council rejected the plans.

An Bord Pleanála also rejected the plans for the 65 apartments in Douglas — 45 of which would have been build to rent — after its planning inspector said the project's density contravened the Cork city development plan 2022-2028.

The inspector also said its proposed height, ranging from three to 10 storeys across three blocks, would also fail to adhere to the development plan and represented a "substantial increase in building height from the prevailing building heights in the vicinity of the site".

The planning inspector said: "The proposed development, by reason of its height, scale, and design, would represent an overly dominant and monolithic form of development relative to its immediate environment, would be visually prominent and incongruous, and would detract from the visual amenities and adversely affect the character of the area."

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