Council gives green light for eleven new Athlone homes

Westmeath County Council has granted planning approval for the construction of a new housing development at Magheranerla, Athlone.

The development will see the construction of eight semi-detached and three terraced properties, eleven in total, at the end of a through road in the Crystal Village residential estate on the east side of the town.

Crystal Village is a cul-de-sac estate with 20 residential properties, close to Valley Court.

A planning application for the housing development was submitted to the local authority by Rose Galvin in August.

The proposal attracted a significant number of submissions from residents in Crystal Village who raised concerns about the impact the project would have on the area.

They cited a number of issues including that the proposed development would have an impact "on the quality of life, privacy and safety" of the Crystal Village residents.

One such submission described the proposed plan as "high density" and "very over developed" when compared to the size of Crystal Village and also expressed concerns about traffic congestion during and post development.

"The addition of more cars in the area will make accessing the Dublin road even more insanely difficult than it already currently is for not only residents of Crystal Village, but Valley Court residents across the road as well.

"This proposed development will also guarantee a loss of amenities and increased safety hazards during, and post construction, for the residents of Crystal Village, while also adversely affecting residents of Valley Court through traffic hazards, as well as impacting birds and wildlife in their natural environment".

Concerns were also raised about the ability of wastewater infrastructure in the area to cope with the additional demand, with the "area already densely populated and a corresponding pressure on public services such as sewage".

"The proposed development will be constructed over the main sewer line that runs along the entire length of the site which might lead to major problems for existing residents in both Blacks Avenue and Crystal Village," one concerned resident stated in their submission to the local authority.

Additional concerns regarding "noise and light pollution" during the development construction phase were highlighted, while local residents also cited that there was "no legal access to the development site from Crystal Village".

Additional information was sought by the local authority from the developer prior to the granting of planning permission. This information related to the provision of a children's pay area, car parking layout, road and traffic safety plans, confirmation of connection to the public water system and refuse and bicycle storage facilities for each unit.

The planning permission wasc granted by Westmeath County Council on December 23, subject to 20 conditions.