Housing association fights refusal of Tipperary home extension for adults with intellectual disabilities
A housing association that provides homes for people with intellectual disabilities has appealed a decision by Tipperary County Council to refuse planning permission for an extension to one of its residential properties in Dundrum.
Belmont Park Housing Association was refused permission by the council to add an extension to the side of its house in Ballintemple, Dundrum to provide more accommodation.
The local authority refused planning permission on the grounds that the property in question is too far away from the village of Dundrum.
“If permitted, the development would provide for a residential care/assisted living unit on unzoned and unserviced lands at a location which is removed from the services and amenities offered by settlement centres,” the refusal notification said.
The development would contravene objectives of the Tipperary County Development plan, and would “set an undesirable precedent for other similar developments,” planners added.
An agent acting on behalf of Belmont Park Housing Association said that the extension would help to provide more accommodation in an area that residents are already familiar with.
“Belmont Park Housing Association operate the house, the subject of this appeal, in Ballintemple, and have a need to provide a more independent and self-contained living environment while maintaining access to the familiar staff, services and supports that already exist at the site,” the agent said.
The agent said that the policy used by the council to refuse permission referred mainly to accommodation for the elderly, and as such, didn’t apply in this case.
“This policy, therefore, refers to accommodation for the elderly and not specialised care facilities for young adults, as is the case in this instance,” they said.
The agent also added that one of the policies focused on healthcare facilities, but that the house in Ballintemple is not a healthcare facility, it is a home where people with intellectual disabilities live full-time.
The council cited the lack of public transport as another issue that warranted refusing planning permission, but the agent said that the home has a company vehicle which is appropriate to suit the needs of the residents.
“Therefore, in terms of the policy context quoted by Tipperary County Council, it is respectfully suggested that they do not directly relate to the current proposal, especially as public transport would not be suitable for the needs of the residents,” they added.
An Coimisiún Pleanála has not given a date for when the case will be decided on.