Concerned residents lodge appeal against planning for 246 home development in Cork town

The planned construction of 246 homes in Blarney has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála by residents, who have raised concerns about traffic and the scale of the development.

Clockstrike Ltd was granted permission for the plan, incorporating a creche, at Ringwood, Blarney, by Cork City Council last December to consist of 101 apartments, 30 duplex dwellings, and 115 two-storey and three-storey houses.

While individuals and of the Station Road Residents’ Association said they were “broadly in favour” of housing in the development, they “want to see growth that enhances the area and its infrastructure”.

Locals said the scale of the proposed development “will exacerbate already critical traffic bottlenecks, place unsustainable pressures on local infrastructure, and compromise the quality of life for current and future residents”.

They highlighted that Cork City Council’s Development Plan 2022-2028, in relation to Blarney, states: “Deficiencies in the road network is one of the key reasons for the low level of development in Blarney, relative to other urban towns, with the existing road infrastructure unable to serve proposed developments.”

Residents are asking for the expediting of an R617 relief road for access to the Ringwood development, to prevent increased traffic congestion and enhance road safety.

Objections

More than 20 objections had been lodged by residents prior to the planning permission being approved, with one saying: “With approximately 380 units already existing on Station Rd, the scale of the developments proposed — with the additional units sharing only one exit and entry point — will result in residents experiencing large volumes of traffic congestion and delays.

“Residents of Station Rd at present have experienced delays of up to 15 minutes and longer trying to exit the junction at the bottom of Station Rd.

“The establishment of this development has the potential to double the length of time that commuters will experience.”

The proposed development also contains a number of four-storey apartment blocks, which exceed the council’s own target height for Blarney (three-storey), they pointed out.

They said that these “will look out of character with the historical and world-renowned village of Blarney”, and will be overbearing on nearby terraced houses, asking for either the elimination or relocation of these multi-storey apartment blocks to a less visible area of the site.

Visually overbearing

One objection states: “Due to their height and proximity to adjacent dwellings, the proposed apartments will be visually overbearing, seriously affecting the residential amenities of property in the vicinity by reason of loss of light and overlooking impact.

“This development will reduce the quality of scenery from lands changing from the current green fields. This will have a knock-on effect on the value of properties individuals look to sell in future.”

The residents who lodged an appeal also shared concern about the impact that the development would have on access to services, which they said are already stretched, adding: “There are minimal plans to enhance any essential services in the village or add to local amenities, which are already outdated and insufficient to handle the influx of new residents.”

One individual who lodged an objection to the plans stated that there was already a shortage of GPs, saying: “Personally, my family must now make the trip to Bishopstown — while I know of other vulnerable/elderly individuals who must drive to either Blackpool or Ballincollig.”

For these reasons, “residents who are broadly in favour of housing in the Ringwood development have been left with no alternative but to regrettably appeal to An Bord Pleanála,” the group who lodged the appeal said, explaining that they “want to see growth that enhances the area and its infrastructure, not just profits for investment funds and developers”.

The case is due to be decided by the appeals board by May 6.