A housing development in Castlegar consisting of 74 residential units has been refused planning permission by the city council.
Altitude Distribution Ltd planned for a residential housing estate consisting of 60 houses and 14 apartments off School road in Castlegar.
Estate plans also included 168 parking spaces, one space per apartment and two per house.
The main point of entry and exit to the estate was going to be onto School Road.
The city council asked Altitude Distributions to increase the density of the development, saying that plot ratio in the application didn’t meet the requirements of the City Development Plan.
The developer refused to increase the number of units in the plans, saying that Castlegar is designated as an ‘Outer Suburb’ and the current ratio of 35 units per hectare is appropriate to that.
The response to the council also said they had to keep a “buffer zone” from the ESB on site, leaving 4,608 sq metres undeveloped.
However the layout of the site was re-orientated after questions were asked about excessive communal open spaces without any homes overlooking, and blank gables facing out onto the road.
Concerns were also expressed about sightlines for people exiting the housing estate onto School Road.
Castlegar Residents Association expressed it opposition to the plans, primarily due to traffic and road safety concerns.
The Residents’ Association said that the estate would double traffic on School Road, adding that in many places there are no road markings, and it isn’t wide enough for two car to pass each other.
At one point in the road there are no footpaths, making it less safe for pedestrians.
City Councillor terry O’Flaherty also made a submission echoing the concerns of the Residents’ Association.
The RA’s submission also claimed that there so many collisions in the area that gardaí rarely attend anymore, and they don’t make it into official statistics.
