Developer seeks more time to complete Tipperary homes after spending more than €8m
The developer of a 60-home housing development in Clonmel is seeking an extension of planning permission after construction delays, saying they have already invested more than €8 million in the project.
Rockspring Developments applied to Tipperary County Council to extend the duration of their planning application for 20 apartments and 40 houses at Thomas Court, on Thomas Street in Clonmel.
In their application, an agent working on behalf of Rockspring said that 41 of the 60 units are 85pc complete, and that more than €8million has so far been spent on developing the site.
Under the original planning permission, 20 of the houses are due to be two-bedroom homes, while the other 20 will be three-bedroom.
Ten of the proposed apartments will have one bedroom, with the other 10 having two bedrooms.
According to the developer’s extension application, they faced delays with floor levels of the new homes, as well as having to apply for retention planning permission.
“We experienced delays over the past 18 to 24 months, having to increase floor levels, the height of the retaining wall, and to get retention planning permission,” the agent said.
The agent said that the redesign of the drainage system was to optimise drainage gradients and lower overall site levels.
A search of the Tipperary County Council planning portal shows that Rockspring had to apply for retention planning permission for the concrete retaining wall along the northern boundary of the site.
Retention planning permission is sought when works have been carried out without the express permission of the local authority.
They also applied for permission to change the floor levels of the houses, as well as a redesign of the foul water system, the relocation of parking for one of the homes, changes to visitor parking and changes to the southern boundary wall.
The agent now says that the development is expected to be complete by Halloween 2028, and is seeking to extend the duration of the planning permission for three to seven years.
Once the homes are complete, six of them will be transferred to Tipperary County Council to be used as social housing under the Part V rules.
This rule states that 10pc of any new development must be transferred to the county council to address the shortage of social homes.
Tipperary County Council planners are due to decide whether to grant more time or not by September 9.