Plans for Clonlara new houses halved

Clare County Council have unveiled plans for the development of 12 new houses in Clonlara, less than half what was originally proposed.

A Part Eight proposal for the construction of 25 local authority houses with ancillary services at Knockbrack Lower, Clonlara was approved at a council meeting on October 13, 2008.

It was proposed by Councillor Tony O’Brien and seconded by Councillor Pascal Fitzgerald. However, the council has been forced to submit a new Part Eight proposal to its own planning section after receiving an allocation to fund the development of just 12 dwellings at the site.

Councillor Michael Begley said there was still some uncertainty about whether funding would be provided to start work on this development this year as the housing allocation grants haven’t been announced yet.
With just four people with Clonlara addresses on the housing list last December, Councillor Begley noted there wasn’t a huge demand for local authority housing in the area.

Welcoming this proposed ­development, the independent ­councillor pointed out housing lists changed all the time and predicted the list could increase over the next 12 months.

The 64 local authority houses in the Derryvinna Estate represent about one third of the overall housing stock of 180 in Clonlara. Thanks to very good estate management by local authority residents cutting grass and planting trees, significant progress has been made in the council’s Best Kept Estate competition.

There are also another 20 former Rural Housing Organisation dwellings in the nearby Cloonomora estate, which is also well maintained.

According to plans submitted to the planning department by executive architect, Andrea Goble, it is necessary to revise the housing mix/type and site layout to make provision of the current housing need, technical and design requirements of 2013.

The scheme now includes the partial upgrade of the existing lower road located on the south-eastern boundary and a pedestrian connection to the adjacent Derryvinna estate.

Three house types are proposed. Type A is a semi-detached single storey house to accommodate small families of four people with a wide range of family types.

Type B is a semi-detached two storey house to accommodate the five person family, while type C is a detached cottage offering flexibility for different family types.

According to the plans, the provision of the pedestrian access from the Derryvinna estate and the connection to the existing laneway makes a positive contribution to the neighbourhood.

The site is on the edge of the village, adjacent to a medium density housing scheme on its north-west boundary and bounding a rural laneway on its eastern boundary with detached low density housing opposite. All public open space is overlooked by surrounding homes and it offers the potential for informal play areas that are safe and an amenity owned by residents.

In total, 24 car parking spaces are provided communally rather than within the home.