Planning extension sought for entire Lissywollen housing project
Planning permission for Athlone's largest housing estate is due to expire next June - which has now prompted the developer behind the project to seek an extension of the approval granted for all 576 of the planned homes.
Garrycastle Homes Ltd, trading as Alanna Homes, lodged an application to extend the period of planning permission for its 'Plovers Wood' housing estate, in the Lissywollen area, on Thursday, August 7.
Last week, a commencement notice for the construction of the Plovers Wood project came into effect.
This gave the green light for work to start on the first 103 housing units, and on the creation of the controversial 30km per hour 'Lissywollen Avenue' road, which will traverse the estate and create a new link between the Ballymahon Road roundabout and the Garrycastle area.
A five-year award of planning permission for the new housing and the link road was granted by An Bord Pleanála in June of 2021.
With next year's expiry of the planning permission looming, the developer first lodged an application in July for a new grant of permission for one phase of the overall project - consisting of 94 homes, a creche and community hub - on lands at Lissywollen, Kilnafaddoge and Retreat, Athlone.
This has now been followed by another application seeking an extension of planning for all 576 of the units planned on the same lands.
The new application states that, in the years since permission was first granted for the development in 2021, work had not taken place "due to technical / legal issues which have now been resolved".
The planning application added that the development "is due to commence imminently" as arrangements were "currently underway to appoint contractors to carry out the various works".
A decision on the request for an extension of planning approval for the entire project is due to be made by Westmeath County Council on or before October 1 next.
At the time of going to press a representative of Alanna Homes could not be reached for comment.