Mural of Wexford Fleadh winner to be demolished as controversial housing development causes angst in The Faythe

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

The arrival of a row of large concrete blocks in the early hours of Saturday morning were the first sign that works on 17 new units in The Faythe were about to be ramped up. By the middle of the week, builders had begun erecting hoarding outside the proposed site as they began work which will see three of Wexford town’s most historic properties demolished.

In the short-term, the hoarding has resulted in the loss of approximately 30 parking spaces in an area which has frequently been beset by traffic issues in recent years. When complete, the development will deliver new homes for families in the middle of a housing crisis, but it will do so at a cost; the loss of numbers 90, 92, and 94 The Faythe.

Those buildings, one of which is over 300-years-old, were the subject of an appeal by residents of The Faythe earlier this year That appeal saw 90 submissions made to An Bord Pleanála (ABP) and a recommendation by ABP’s inspector that the development not go ahead because the “design, height, scale and massing of the proposed apartment block and lack of communal open space, would provide for a crammed form of development, on this prominent corner site and detract from the local vernacular and the historic streetscape of The Faythe”.

That recommendation was ultimately overruled by ABP and the construction of the new houses, by Bawn Development Ltd, has now begun.

Prior to its latest peaceful protest, the Fight 4 The Faythe (F4TF) group issued a statement regarding a development which will also see the mural of the late Wexford musician George Ross demolished.

“Our protest against the destruction of our community by Bawn Developments, facilitated by Wexford County Council continues, for several reasons,” the group said. “To make it very clear, our community is not opposed to development. However, we have been raising concerns over long-term safety in our community since the beginning.

“Over 90 paid objections were submitted by local residents against this development. These objections related to the destruction of historical and habitable houses and a historical streetscape full of heritage, loss of allocated, zoned green space from a previous development and accessibility and safety issues. These concerns were blatantly ignored by Wexford County Council. This exacerbated the issue.

"We were forced to appeal to An Bord Pleanála. The inspector’s 63 page recommendation to refuse permission for this development was ignored and we are now left to deal with the consequences.”

Stating that the development is “already creating the issues” it had predicted in its objections, the F4TF group say “these issues will only increase as demolition of our heritage continues”.

“We have felt like our voices have not been heard and this is why we continue to protest. We have been failed by Wexford County Council (WCC) and An Bord Pleanála (ABP). Bawn Developments have been unwilling to collaborate with us which highlights their priority of profit over people.

“This process has strengthened and united our community. We acknowledge that development is necessary but those in charge need to recognise that it must occur in a sustainable and considerate way and a transparent process of consideration of all objections is required.

“While we may not be able to stop this intrusive and inconsiderate development, we will continue to fight to save what we have left.”

Responding to the group’s concerns, a spokesperson for Bawn Developments Ltd said, “We have full planning permission from Wexford County Council and we also have full planning permission from An Bord Pleanála and the development in the Faythe is going ahead.

“When this development is completed next year Bawn Developments Ltd will have provided, in a serious housing crisis, 17 homes for the local community”

On this, the F4TF said, “We recognise we are in a housing crisis, but provision of housing without consideration of necessary amenities and safety is pointless and detrimental to society long-term. We cannot build for the sake of building, with an excuse that we are in a crisis, but must build in a way that is considerate of human needs and well-being. Bawn Developments has not done this and they have been facilitated by Wexford County Council throughout this entire process.”

Wexford actor lands role in new RTÉ comedy drama ‘Tall Tales and Murder’

Wexford Festival Singers unveil programme for upcoming performance

Wexford theatre group set to perform ‘The Prince of Egypt’