Plans to be lodged for 400 homes in Coosan area

Plans for the most significant housing development on the Leinster side of Athlone in years – numbering over 400 homes, a creche, and a new distributor road linking Coosan and Cornamaddy – look set to be formally lodged with An Bord Pleanála.

The developers, Castlestar (Athlone) Limited, have initiated a new fast-track planning process, which allows major proposals for over 100 homes to be submitted directly to An Bord Pleanála for a final verdict bypassing the local authority.

A newly published planning notice this week indicates that a full application is set to be lodged with the planning appeals board as part of the Strategic Housing Development (SHD) scheme for a total of 426 residential units, made up of 237 housing units and 189 apartments on a 15.615 hectare site in the townlands of Cornamagh, Clonbrusk and Coosan, on land believed to be roughly located to the rear of Buccaneers Rugby Club and stretching over towards the Garnafailagh area.

A creche facility (545 sqm), associated outdoor play areas and parking, along with the construction of a 430m section of a new distributor road linking Coosan and Cornamaddy form the other main elements of the massive housing project, one of the largest planned in the Athlone area since pre-recession times.

Access to the Coosan Road and the new distributor road, shared communal and private open space, car and bicycle parking, site landscaping and public lighting, are also provided for the new application, which must be lodged with An Bord Pleanála within a fortnight of the publication of the planning notice.

The houses earmarked for the Coosan site are mainly three and four bed units, with the former making up the majority of 237 of the 426 proposed. In terms of the apartments, what's planned is a range of one bed, two bed, three bed and duplex units in 13 different blocks.

An Environmental Impact Assessment Report is set to accompany the formal planning application along with a Natura Impact Statement, the planning notice stated, in addition to a statement setting out why the project should be granted approval.

This is the second major residential development earmarked for the east side of Athlone in recent times, coming on foot of another 547 housing unit development at Lissywollen, Athlone, close to the existing Brawny estate, which is also progressing through the SHD process.

That plan is part of a major public/private partnership between Westmeath County Council and Alanna Roadbridge Developments Ltd, and involves a controversial link road between Ballymahon Road and Garrycastle Road roundabout.

An Bord Pleanála ruled in recent months in that case that the initial plans are currently not sufficient to merit a full planning application being lodged without making amendment to the pre-application plans.

Should either of these, or indeed, both projects progress to construction it would make a sizeable dent in housing need in the wider Athlone area which has only seen a few smaller or medium size projects progress to bricks and mortar in recent years.

As part of the SHD process it is compulsory for prospective applicants to consult first with the relevant planning authority, and then with An Bord Pleanála, as part of a nine-week pre-application consultation phase prior to a formal application being lodged with the planning board.

Back in February, the planning board ruled that “further consideration/amendment” was needed prior to the submission of a full application by Castlestar (Athlone) Limited, who have a registered address in Blackrock in Dublin. The initial plans at that stage totalled 416 residential units, a figure which is up slightly in the full application.

A decision must be made on any Strategic Housing Development 16 weeks after it is lodged, An Bord Pleanála confirmed. There is no power to defer the decision in this process or seek further information bar the board take the rare decision that an oral hearing is necessary.

There is an opportunity for public submissions within a five week period once the full application has been lodged and advertised.

According to the public notice, the application can also be inspected online on the following website set up by the applicant: www.dunanriathloneshd.com or in person at the offices of An Bord Pleanála and Westmeath County Council.

An Bord Pleanála may grant permission for the strategic housing development as proposed, or may grant permission subject to modifications or in part only, with or without any other modifications, or may refuse to grant permission, the planning notice also explained.