75-house development approved for New Ross despite residents’ concerns about school safety

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

Kilkenny County Council has granted planning permission for the construction of 75 new houses at Millbanks Road, Rosbercon. The development, which will be carried out by Minson Property Ltd, will consist of 63 three-bed houses and 12 four-beds and a creche and will also include the provision of a new pedestrian and vehicular access to Millbanks Road.

Although it has granted planning for the project, Kilkenny County Council (KCC) did raise concerns regarding the proposed density of the site, requesting that the applicant provide for a “more efficient use of land onsite generating a higher level of density, achieving density of no less than 30 units per hectare”.

The council’s planning department also queried the mix of houses, asking whether it was possible to include smaller properties in the development.

“Notwithstanding the suburban edge of settlement location, the proposed unit mix would benefit from the provision of two-bedroom units,” said KCC. “You are therefore invited to submit a revised unit mix for the proposed development which shall contain a broader mix of different unit types. It is considered that the proposed development can achieve a higher density of around 30 units by a more efficient use of land in certain areas of the site.”

On the issue of density and utilising the land more efficiently, Minson Property Ltd, in its response to KCC, said that the location of the estate had played a factor in its design.

“The site is 1400m from the centre of New Ross. There is very limited public transport available. Hence, transport will be private car driven. As a result, car parking provision will be at the upper limit. Again the provision of additional car parking spaces reduces the land available for development.”

With regards to the request for two-bedroom units, the developer submitted alternative plans, with five additional houses, but advised that research had found there was “no demand” for apartments in the area.

"We have revised the housing mix and have included a number of two-bedroom houses in the revised layout,” it said. “The overall housing mix for the varying house types is now 7 two-bedroom houses, 62 three-bedroom houses, and 11 four-bed houses. In order to achieve a higher density one would need to include apartments in the overall layout. However, research with local agents found that there is no demand for apartments in the New Ross area.”

Prior to planning permission being granted, KCC received three submissions from existing residents in the area with each expressing concerns about the proposed development.

Patrick Coleman, from Millbanks, Rosbercon, said the addition of the new homes would exacerbate existing traffic issues.

“The R704 is a much-used road,” he said. “Although it is a secondary road it takes a lot of traffic; cars, trucks and HGVs from and to the M9 at Mullinavat from New Ross and surrounding areas. The housing development will lead to an extra increase in traffic volume the R704 cannot take. I feel an increase in the amount of traffic on the road with the proposed size of the application would be a negligent road safety issue.

“The junction that leads to the housing estate of Glenbarra and on to Schoolhouse Road and the local school has a blind spot. It is hard to see traffic coming down the R704 as it is. The extra traffic from this project will cause added dangers to this especially at school drop off and pick up times when this road is widely used.”

Paul Grace also submitted an objection to the scheme, citing the same safety concerns regarding school drop off and collection points in the area.

"There is a small lane at the bottom of Milbank Grove that is frequently used by parents dropping off their children for school,” he said. “This lane joins the R704 from School House Road, where the primary school is located, as part of a one-way system. The current sightlines at this junction are inadequate for safe exits onto the R704, and there is insufficient space for safe walking and cycling.

"This area is already a known bottleneck, with vehicles struggling to re-join the main road. The proposed development would significantly worsen this congestion, increasing safety risks during peak hours, particularly in the mornings when school drop-offs coincide with heavy traffic volumes.”.

William Murphy, representing the Rosbercon Residents Group, focused on a parcel of land at the site which he said “has not been integrated into the plans as a recreational area for children in the area”.

Contending that, during a previous meeting, the group had been informed “this parcel of land would be earmarked and developed as a recreational area”, Mr Murphy said “there are a number of children in the estate currently that are playing soccer on the tarmac, and we believe use of this land for a recreational area or all-weather pitch type facility for these children, and further children that would come to the area with the housing development, would be beneficial to our community.

"The children would have a safe and appropriate place to play, and new residents to the area would see their families integrate more naturally. The population in the area is already in need of these amenities and adding to the population without providing these basic necessities for the community will lead to an increase in anti-social behaviour.

"We are at the point now where continued growth will have a significant impact on the community unless these basic necessities are provided, and this development has the opportunity to address this instead of being another half-hearted approach to development that is representative of the majority of planning applications in Ireland.”

The issue of this unused space was also raised by KCC.

"There is an area to the south west of the site which is effectively leftover space as it does not provide for communal open space,” it noted. “Furthermore, this area is isolated from the remainder of the site and lacks natural surveillance in its current form. It is considered that there may be scope to provide a small number of suitably designed units in this area.”

Explaining why this section of land had not been used for the provision of new houses or play area, Minson Property said the topography of the site made this an unrealistic proposition.

“The site has extensive level changes falling from north-west to south-east. This makes the sitting of houses in the south-east section of the site unrealistic. The level changes here also make this section of the site unsuitable for play areas. The area will be landscaped - planted with trees and shrubs in order to provide additional habitat for insects and animals, including new foraging areas for bats. This will encourage biodiversity.”