Questions raised over Clare TD’s plan for new home

Plans for the construction of a family home for Deputy Cathal Crowe have been put on hold after the local planning authority requested further information on the application.

There has also been a strongly worded submission to the planning application that questions among other things what transpired at extensive pre-planning meetings between Deputy Crowe and Clare county planners.

The submission also highlighted the potential environmental impact of the proposed dwelling and questions whether unauthorised development may have taken place in clearing the site.

Permission has been sought for a private dwelling house, detached garage, wastewater treatment system and associated site works at Heathmount, Cratloe, for Maeve Fehily and Cathal Crowe.

In its request for Further Information, Clare County Council considered the information submitted in the application is insufficient to make a complete planning assessment of the proposal.

The applicant was requested to submit a site layout plan with a slope of 1:8 or less as per the EPA guidelines and was advised it may be necessary to carry out revised percolation tests and a trial hole evaluation.

With regard to the proposed water supply, it is noted the planning application form states that there will be a new connection to a private well.

However, the site characterisation form indicates a connection to a public mains water supply.

The applicant was requested to clarify the source of the proposed water supply to serve the dwelling.

If a well is proposed, the location has to be identified on the site layout plan and has to be taken into consideration when locating the wastewater treatment plan.

The planning authority also asked the applicant to clarify if the gradient of the proposed driveway meets the required Building Regulations and sought drawings and cross-sections of the embankment along the north eastern boundary of the site.

Meanwhile, in her comprehensive submission, Audrey Healy with an address at 21 Knockrahaderry, Liscannor, drew attention to the fact there were numerous meetings between Mr Crowe and county planners.

She stated Covid-19 restrictions and lack of face-to-face meetings during 2021 made it difficult for many applicants to obtain a pre-planning consultation at all and others were waiting for months.

Ms Healy stated the dates of pre-application consultation suggest multiple meetings took place, which is unusual, not only with a planner but also a Senior Executive Planner in attendance.

Ms Healy stated in her submission that the Landscape and Vegetation Evaluation Report contains multiple photographs and diagrams of site clearance and construction works that were carried out to the site and to neighbouring land without planning permission during the first six months of 2021.

She said “no words could outline the destructive impact of these pre-planning site development works on what was once a natural and unspoilt habitat”.

“Given the seriousness of the situation, it would be important for the Local Area Planner to clarify in her Planning Inspection Report exactly what was disclosed by the applicants during the pre-planning consultation meetings about ongoing or completed construction works on the subject site.

“A granting of this permission would send a clear message that it is perfectly acceptable to carry out unauthorised works that have a material and detrimental effect on a site in the expectation that it might improve the chances of obtaining a subsequent grant of permission.”

“The site works have had a profound and lasting environmental impact that is totally unacceptable.

“Remedial works, including removal of the earthen/stone embankments and inappropriate planting, will sadly never fully mitigate the significant environmental damage that has been inflicted on this site.

“Even assuming the earthworks can be reversed to bring the land back to something resembling normality, it will take years for the site to fully re-wild itself and offer a natural environment to wildlife,” she claimed.

Another submission, by Lourdes O’Donohue, who is the applicant’s architect, is supportive of the application. She outlined it is proposed to locate the dwelling with a finished floor level of 170.900 so that traffic on the road is largely not visible due to both the natural ridge line and the mature boundary.

She stated it is worth noting that the attention of the passers-by is drawn not to the site but to the view north west of the site/roadway.

The applicants have created a 1.5 metre high earth and stone bank in an existing gap on the roadside boundary on neighbouring land to mitigate views of the site when approaching from the north east.

“We are confident that within a couple of years the dwelling will not be visible from the north eastern approach road once planting has been given an opportunity to mature.

“The proposal consists of a modest 236 metres squared four bedroom family dwelling, which follows a simple linear plan running parallel to the existing site contours thus minimising the necessity for excessive excavation.

“The single storey dwelling with habitable roof space maximises floor area on a reduced footprint while keeping the proposed ridge height as low as possible, minimising the impact of the dwelling on the landscape.”

The architect submitted extensive documentation including a Local Rural Connection document, Landscape and Vegetation Evaluation and Plan prepared by Emer Sherry Gardens, originally submitted at pre-planning stage, details of planned raised ditch, Site Characterisation Report prepared by Thomas Burke and a number of Site Layout and Floor Plans.

Deputy Crowe declined to comment on his application when contacted by the Clare Champion.