Bid to alter housing plan for former Bower site

By Rebekah O'Reilly

The developers of a proposed housing project at the old Bower Convent, now Bower Hall, are seeking approval to change a planned apartment block to 10 four-bed houses.

The application by Bower Hall Limited proposes to change a prior approval for 14 two-bed apartments to the ten four-bed two-storey homes.

The two-bed apartments were part of a larger scheme which was initially granted permission in 2021 and which received planning extension for 36 months last year, expiring in October 2029).

The proposed new housing is on the site of old tennis courtyards belonging to the former Bower School Convent.

Each of the houses hopes to accommodate seven people. There are two private secure bike spaces and one visitor bike space, as well as two carpark spaces allocated for each house in the plans.

The site was last used as a tennis courts for students of Our Lady’s Bower Boarding School and Convent, which closed in June 2014.

Since 2021, part of the site was used to host Ukrainian refugees for some years, with Bower Hall currently operating as student accommodation.

The larger housing project on the site also includes converting the old 1889 Convent Building (Our Lady's Bower) and later 1960s extension from convent and boarding school to library and residential apartments and new residential apartment block extension to the north-west side of the existing 1960s building.

If the amendment to permit the new 10 houses is approved, the updated housing mix on the site, according to documents submitted in the application, would total 95 units, including 3 studio apartments, 12 one-bedroom apartments, 57 two-bedroom apartments, nine three-bedroom apartments, one four-bedroom apartments, three three-bedroom Townhouses and ten four-bedroom detached houses.

A decision on the amended plans is due by Friday, July 3.