Major student housing hub in Garrycastle could open in 2024

The developer of a massive student and residential housing project near Garrycastle in Athlone said he hopes the student units will be ready for occupation by September 2024, after the plans were given the go-ahead by An Bord Pleanála.

The planning board granted approval to Avenir Homes Ltd, subject to 28 conditions, for the project billed as 'The Green Quarter'.

The scheme is a mixed-use residential development of 60 houses, 62 residential apartments, and 46 student apartments that would include 283 student bed spaces.

The development site is located alongside a 700-metre stretch of the Old Rail Trail Greenway, with the tallest apartment blocks rising to heights of five, six and seven stories.

A condition attached to the grant of planning permission directed that two of the apartment blocks closest to the greenway should be relocated three metres further from it in order to protect "residential and visual amenities" and to preserve "existing trees and hedgerow" at the greenway.

The project is to be situated on a 4.1 hectare site which takes in parts of the townlands of Cartrontroy, Kilnafaddoge, Lissywollen and Ardnaglug, and is close to the ESB facility and the Spar convenience store in Garrycastle.

There was opposition to the plans from some nearby residents due to concerns about the scale and density of the housing units and the heights of the buildings, while some Athlone councillors also voiced reservations about these aspects of the development.

However, An Bord Pleanála concluded that the project should be given the green light as it was of "strategic and national importance" in helping to address the current under-supply of housing.

Mark Cunningham of Avenir Homes Ltd said he was delighted the plans had been approved and was hopeful construction might begin next Spring.

He anticipated that the student accommodation units would be built first, and said the aim was to have these ready ahead of the 2024 academic year.

“There is a chronic shortage of housing nationwide, and particularly in relation to student accommodation,” he said.

“I think if the general public don’t know it at this stage they will know in September, when the Leaving Cert results come out, just how difficult it’s going to be to get student accommodation not just in Athlone but everywhere throughout the country.

“I would imagine that the student element of it will be the first to commence, because that’s the most critical (aspect).”

He said many of the 28 conditions attached to the grant of planning permission were standard, but an exception was the requirement for two of the blocks to be moved further from the greenway.

“There is one condition that requires the relocation of two of the blocks that are located along the greenway, so that they are set back further from the greenway than was originally proposed,” said Mr Cunningham.

“It’s my opinion that this satisfies any issues in relation to overlooking the greenway.”

Avenir Homes Ltd had sought planning permission directly from the planning board through the Strategic Housing Development mechanism, which allows proposals for more than 100 residential units to bypass the county council planning process.

In its ruling, signed on June 16, An Bord Pleanála concluded the development would not seriously affect the “residential or visual amenities of the area or of property in the vicinity” and that it would be acceptable “in terms of pedestrian and traffic safety”.

A report written by the planning board’s inspector Sarah Moran said the project would “support the development of Athlone in its role as a Regional Growth Centre” and would help meet housing targets for the town set out in the County Development Plan.

Regarding the density of the project, Ms Moran said it would have an estimated residential density 70 units per hectare if the student accommodation units were included, or 40 units per hectare if they were excluded.

She pointed out that the student units were not typical apartments as they would involve “3-8 bedroom clusters with shared kitchens and living areas.”

The Inspector concluded that the proposed net residential density of 40 units per hectare was “generally acceptable on a 4.1 ha site within a strategic landbank zoned for residential development.”

In addition to public submissions from local resident Catherine Gallagher; the Ashgrove Residents’ Association; and Cllr Louise Heavin, the planning process also attracted a submission from Transport Infrastricture Ireland (TII) on the traffic implications of the project.

TII expressed concern that “insufficient data” was submitted with the planning application to demonstrate that the development would not have “a detrimental impact on the capacity, safety or operational efficiency of the national road network in the vicinity of the site.”

The transport authority also felt a traffic assessment submitted with the plans did not “demonstrate sufficiently” the impact the new housing would have on the N6/R916 junction adjacent to the site.

In making its decision, An Bord Pleanála said it accepted that a grant of planning permission could contravene the residential density and building height and design objectives of the Athlone Town Development Plan.

However, the board utilised powers given to it under the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act to grant permission in material contravention of development plans in certain circumstances.

The board found that the project was unlikely to have "significant effects on the environment" and that an environmental impact assessment report was "not necessary" in this case.

The developer of the project, Mr Cunningham, is a former student of the then-Athlone Regional Technical College which he attended between 1994 and 1997, living in digs in Willow Park at the time.

He said the pandemic had added to existing pressures on student housing availability.

“The Covid situation has had a serious impact on student accommodation,” he commented.

“The students basically left (the campus) to study from home for 12 to 18 months. The landlords then had no choice but to rent out their accommodation to the ordinary rental market, and that has soaked up the accommodation available for students.”