Redesign submitted for proposed homes in east Clare village

DESIGNS for three homes proposed for the village of O’Callaghan’s Mills have been revised by the developer, after planners described them as “highly suburban” and “not acceptable for a village setting”. 

East Clare Construction have just submitted a response to a Further Information (FI) request from the Council. This 12-page document includes fresh house designs which the company have described “suitable for this village”.

The developers have also responded to other issues raised by the local authority and reduced the proposed floor level for one of the sites. They have corrected a misprint on the previously-submitted layout map to show the correct ground level, removing the perception of a sharp gradient where the proposed access road connects to the R466. 

The company, whose directors are listed as Joe and Teresa Cooney of Ballymacdonnell, Bodyke, have also clarified their intentions for another parcel of zoned lands in their ownership close to the development site.

The FI response said that, “any further development will be subject to planning and discussion and will be dependant on the future zoning of the lands to the rear”. It added that it would be “fair to say that the applicant would be open to consideration to develop a further small number of houses subject to planning”.

It said that no large scale development is envisaged and that even a small scale development of three or four houses would be subject to an economic assessment “to confirm if sufficient demand exists to make any such development viable”. 

The original plans for three detached homes, at a site of just over half a hectare, at Iragh, were submitted last August. There were no objections to the proposals and, after an initial assessment, the Council said the principle of the proposed development was acceptable.

However, East Clare Construction was requested, in October, to submit revised designs “reflecting the rural character of the setting”. The Council asked that variation in each site be provided. For one of the houses, which would front onto both the existing regional road in the area, and a new access road, “dual frontage” was sought. 

Revised designs show that the four-bedroom, two-storey homes will each have a stone-fronted porch. Two of these porches will be single-storey. Revisions have also been made for the detached garages proposed for each of the homes. These are to have a black tile room, PVC window, a painted metal up-and-over door and painted timber side door. 

A certificate showing that the proposed development has been granted an exemption from Part V of the Planning and Development Act was submitted as part of the original application. The applicants have stated on their planning application form that the homes would be built to sell on.

The development would be connected to the public water supply, and three waste water management systems would have to be installed. A Site Suitability Report for one of the proposed homes, was prepared for the Waste Water Treatment System, in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) codes in July.

The report states that based on visual inspection and percolation testing, with the correct wastewater treatment infrastructure, the site will be able to percolate, attenuate and dispose of the wastewater generated by the housing. Existing mature hedgerows, as well as a number of clusters of native broadleaf trees are to be retained at the development. 

Following receipt of the FI document, the Council has given January 12 as a revised decision date.