Kerry community hosts emergency meeting as plans seek to transform village
The KerrymanA sense of anxiety of the known, and the unknown, undercut the spirit of pulling together in Kilcummin this week.
The town’s recreational hall hummed with life as over 100 people took their seats, but the roaring caterpillar tracks of development were almost tangible in the distance.
A major development is proposed in the heart of Kilcummin village as Killarney town’s pressurised housing market spills into the surrounding countryside.
In response, volunteer-led community group, Kilcummin Looking Good, had organised a public information meeting to discuss the looming application and seek support in objecting to it.
As the meeting got underway at Kilcummin Recreational Hall, local Tony Sugrue, who chaired the meeting was quick to point out that residents didn’t have a problem with development, it was the scale that was their main concern.
The development which has been submitted to Kerry County Council by Xdev Real Estate Ltd., proposes a 41-bed residential development on a green space at the main intersection in the village.
The just over one-acre site includes five three-bed townhouses, five three-bed duplexes, five two-bed apartments and one one-bed apartment, as well as two commercial units and one office unit.
For a village with a population of 612, according to the 2022 census, the development poses a significant expansion.
Meeting attendees’ concerns centred on how the development would change the nature of the village, being situated at its core, across from the post office and adjacent to the village inn.
Site layout from Kerry County Council’s planning website
Elevation drawings from Kerry County Council’s planning website
Mr Sugrue listed off objections compiled by Kilcummin Looking Good so far, including the height of the three-storey duplex apartments, which were planned to stand 13.5m - twice the height of the post office.
The terraced two-storey town house buildings would stand at over 9m and 4m in from the main road which passes through the village.
Mr Sugrue also highlighted the density of the development, the character of the development and the existing stone-wall aesthetic of the village, road safety concerns, the lack of cycle lanes or bus stop and the absence of childcare facilities, which he said were ‘not proper’ in the village at present.
“We have a lovely village,” he said.
“If anyone has something to say, they should say it now. It’s important we send a message.”
Local councillor Marie Moloney was the first from the floor to speak, calling Kilcummin the ‘love’ of her life.
She argued there were more fields elsewhere in the area and that the development was ‘not acceptable’ where it was.
“The duplex are not in keeping with the landscape. They’re not in keeping with the environment,” she said.
“I can’t really object to development but I can object to the height.”
“This is the start, this is the firing gun. We have got to set a maker as a community that we’re not prepared to accept this.”
Another resident said there had been ‘no effort at all’ to stay in keeping with the village and said it would ‘stand out like a sore thumb’.
“If this sets the precedent, what future do we have for further development?” they pointed out.
“It’s an urban development in a rural setting,” another added.
Others claimed the plan was ‘outrageous’ and would ‘destroy’ the village.
Kilcummin has been designated a ‘district town’ in the Kerry County Development Plan, along with Barraduff and Rathmore in the Killarney Municipal District.
District towns are ‘towns that serve a rural hinterland as service centres’ and are larger than villages which have ‘less of a variety of services available’. These principles inform planning decisions on developments in these localities.
Concerns regarding the number of car parking spaces were also raised, with one resident highlighting that 45 parking spaces were to be constructed under the current plans.
They speculated why that many spaces were required for a development with 16 residential units and highlighted that some of the spaces were positioned directly adjacent to the road.
Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae was also in attendance and commended the community for the turn-out at the hall.
He said he had heard the concerns expressed and pledged to support the village in any way he could.
“You have a big crowd in the middle of the week on a holiday,” he acknowledged.
Kilcummin Looking Good urged the public to submit any objections to Kerry County Council, warning that they only had a few weeks to do so.
They said copies of their list of objections were available as examples for residents to use.
Any concerns that weren’t raised at this stage, they warned, would not be allowed to be expressed if the case were to be put before the planning regulator, An Coimisiún Pleanála.
Reeks Consulting Engineers, on behalf of Xdev Real Estate Ltd, responded to a request from The Kerryman for comment.
“We are delighted that there has been a public consultation and we welcome any comments by the locals,” they said.
“This is a very prominent site in the centre of a growing village, and we believe it is in everyone’s interest that the development is done to a high standard.”
A decision is due on the development on September 15