An appeal has been made to An Bord Pleanála against the county council’s decision to refuse planning for a large residential development in Oranmore.
Corestone 16 Ltd were refused planning permission last month for 101 houses and apartments on the Coast Road, Oranmore, next to the train station.
The original application made to the county council was for 91 homes, but this was increased in revised plans submitted after the council asked the developer to consider a higher density.
The council refused to approve the housing development after taking issue with its design and layout, lack of engagement with the wider Urban Framework Plan for the area, and concerns about social housing.
The “design, scale, and car dominated layout” of the development, in an area that is supposed to be focused on public transport, was not acceptable, the council said.
In addition, the decision also criticised the “poor quality public realm, quality of public and private open space, poor disposition, and inadequate and insufficient quality of residential amenity” in the plans.
This decision has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála, which is due to make a decision by March 21 of next year.
It states that the layout of the estate has been designed to enhance connectivity with Oranmore train station, and will create a new greenway with pedestrian and cycling connections to the village and station.
The appeal also states that this application is for the first phase of a larger development, adding “As part of the next phase, the central landscaped space will be expanded to create a new central park”.
The bulk of the public green space in the current application is at the northern end of the site.
Additional landscaped space will be provided to the east of the current site in later phases, the appeal states.
